Portrait of Oswolt Krel Albrecht Durer Buy Art Prints Now
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Tom Gurney BSc (Hons) is an art history expert with over 20 years experience
Published on June 19, 2020 / Updated on October 14, 2023
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The Portrait of Oswalt Krel by Albrecht Durer is from the primary Princess Oettingen-Wallerstein collection acquired in 1812. After its acquisition, it has been in its new location since 1928. The portrait was probably ordered by Oswalt Krell, a Ravensburg's House merchant.

The painting was to be a form of accurate representation with a considerable size to it. It is currently located in Alte Pinakothek Munich, Germany, and protected from any form of violations. The portrait’s size is 50 x 39 cm (central), 50 x 16 cm (each side panel), and oil on the panel type. The painting is a 1944 painting by the famous artist Albrecht Durer. The size at the time did differ from portrait sizes that were meant for private use. The theme is relatively straightforward since it represents the merchant and the type of person he was. The background is rather intriguing, with a division of both the landscape passage and the curtain. The division is quite uneven. From the portrait, the curtain is represented as wide with an occupation of more than enough space on the right side.

On the left side is the landscape, which is shortened mainly to show the river clearly, or rather a short part. The river goes behind the trees through the back. The windowsill's primary function is the separation of the subject from the landscape. In front of the curtain is the main figure represented by all grandiosity with the deepest color that separates it from the rest of the elements in the portrait. He is wearing a sizeable fur-lined cloak. From the right shoulder, it is casually placed and on the left. On the left side, the black garment seems rich with puffed sleeves making it distinct from the plain right side of the garment.

The painting clearly shows the quality of the garment, which shows that the merchant was high class. The silk shirt, the fur, and the gold chain show some form of wealth associated with the merchant giving clarity on the type of life he was used to. The physical details of his also show a level of power that he had. Based on the robust foundation of his frowned eyebrows, strong-willed mouth, and pronounced nose and the direction of his gaze is an excellent way to represent his position in society. The two side panels are a form of an extension to the portrait. They have the heraldic shields of both the main subject and Agathe von Esendorf, his wife. Even with the large dimensions, the painting's conservation was based on closing it, but at the moment, a frame has been made for it.