Holbein, Hans the Younger (c.1497-1543)
Portrait of a young merchant
1541
Oil on oak, 46.5 × 34.8 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Holbein created a new style of portraiture that is characterized by monumentality paired with extreme painterly precision. The young businessman turns directly to the viewer with a slight turn. Particularly expressive are the physiognomy and the play of the hands, which deal with a few objects corresponding to the profession of the sitter. (KHM)