Portrait of a gentleman, bust-length, in a black tunic with an embroidered white collar
oil on paper laid down on panel
31.6 x 22.3cm (12 7/16 x 8 3/4in).

Footnotes

Provenance
Sale, Christie's, London, 9 July 2008, lot 194

An old inscription on the reverse of the panel identifies the sitter as a Jacobus Rimmer of Basel. This location would be appropriate stylistically but the initials 'I M' on the brooch of the sitter's hat would suggest otherwise. The inscription also suggests that the sitter was an eques auratus suggesting that he was a Knight of the Golden Spur.
At the time of the 2008 sale, Dr Kurt Löchner suggested a date of circa 1520 for the present portrait, based on the style of the beret with slashed brim and the collarless embroidered shirt. He also commented that the gold chains, gold head-piece and the gold jewel on the hat with the initial 'I M' would make the sitter likely to be a member of the aristocracy.

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- Old Master Paintings

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Attributed to Hans Asper(Zurich 1499-1571)Portrait of a gentleman, bust-length, in a black tunic with an embroidered white collar

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Poppy Harvey-Jones