Portrait of a Man 1535 - 1568

Lambert Sustris painted this ‘Portrait of a Man’ in oil on canvas sometime in the mid-16th century. Oil paint provided the means to describe the material qualities of the sitter’s garments and jewelry, indicative of his high status. The subtle gradations of tone and texture show Sustris’s mastery of the medium, especially in the man’s voluminous black cloak. Consider the labor involved in tailoring such a garment; the weaving of the cloth, the cutting and sewing. The gold chain and elaborate belt, too, are testaments to the work of skilled artisans. Even the pigments used to create the painting would have been carefully sourced and ground, underscoring the value placed on artistic skill. Looking closely, you can see the artist has layered thin glazes of paint to create a sense of depth and luminosity. Sustris transformed humble materials into a lasting image of wealth and power, reminding us of the close relationship between artistic skill, material culture, and social status in the Renaissance.