Portrait of Fridrich Rorbach
Conrad Faber·1532
Historical Context
Conrad Faber painted this portrait of Fridrich Rorbach in 1532, one of his meticulously detailed portraits of Frankfurt's patrician class. Faber, known as Conrad Faber von Kreuznach, was the leading portrait painter of Frankfurt am Main during the Reformation era. His sharply characterized portraits document the appearance and social aspirations of the city's wealthy merchant and governing elite during a period of religious and political upheaval.
Technical Analysis
Faber's oil on panel demonstrates the characteristically precise German Renaissance portrait technique with sharp facial features and meticulous costume detail. The careful rendering of the sitter's clothing and accessories documents his social status, while the intense gaze reveals Faber's gift for psychological characterization.
Provenance
Henry Farrer to 1866; sold Christie's, London, June 15-16, 1866, no. 288, as by G. Penz, to Bodley for £14 4s. 6d [according to annotated sale cat. at the Getty Research Institute]; by descent to Miss I. A. Bodley of 28 Marlborough Road, Bournemouth by 1930; her sale Sotheby's London, May 14, 1930, no. 32, as German school, sold to Hugo Perls, Berlin [email of March 31, 2005 from Henrietta Roberti, Sotheby’s; it is possible that Goudstikker was a part owner, since he is mentioned as purchaser in the 1938 Worcester catalogue]. J. Rosenbaum, Frankfurt, 1930 [as per Zülch, 1935]. J. Goudstikker Kunsthandel N. V., Amsterdam, by 1935; bought from Goudstikker by Charles Worcester, Chicago, for the Art Institute, in 1935.
