2-999-735 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Portrait of a Scholar or Preacher, 1529. The cap is of a type worn by scholars and preachers, among others, and the small book that the sitter holds could be a devotional work or, if he is a scholar, his own publication. A fur-lined mantle was not a luxury: houses were poorly heated in winter, and everyone dressed warmly inside, especially if seated for long periods. The sitter's hand appears to be intentionally presented as deformed. At this period, deformities were generally viewed as a sign of divine disfavor. The inclusion of this hand may be the sitter's way of signaling his acceptance of divine will. Setting the figure off against a flat colour background is a striking and typical feature of German painting at this period.