Portrait of a Married Couple (Lorenz Kraffter and Honesta Merz?)

Ulrich Apt the Elder was a leading painter in Augsburg in the early sixteenth century, producing altarpieces and portraits for the city's wealthy merchant families. This 1512 double portrait, possibly of Lorenz Kraffter and Honesta Merz, documents the prosperous Augsburg bourgeoisie at the height of the city's importance as a banking and trading center. Augsburg was then one of the wealthiest cities in Europe, home to the Fugger banking dynasty.

The oil on linden demonstrates the precise German Renaissance portrait technique with detailed rendering of facial features, costumes, and accessories. The paired format documents both members of the couple with equal attention to individual characterization.