Ambrosius Volmar Keller (Baldung)

Ambrosius Volmar Keller is a 1538 portrait painting by the German Renaissance artist Hans Baldung. The painting was offered to the city of Strasbourg by German Emperor Wilhelm II, from his private collection, in 1890. It is on display in the Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame. Its inventory number is MBA 191 ("MBA" stands for Musée des Beaux-Arts).[2][1]

Ambrosius Volmar Keller
ArtistHans Baldung
Year1538
Mediumoil painting on panel (lime)
MovementNorthern Renaissance
Portrait painting
SubjectCanon Ambrosius Volmar Keller
Dimensions98 cm × 72 cm (39 in × 28 in)[1]
LocationMusée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame, Strasbourg
Accession1890

Ambrosius Volmar Keller was the nephew of the prior of Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune Church, at a time when that church still entirely belonged to the Catholic Church, and had just been made canon; he would himself become prior of Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune in 1558. The solemn portrait celebrates the young Keller's gravitas and new social status.[1][2]

The painting marks an important step in the evolution of Baldung's art, as it is his first portrait with a landscape background.[1][2] Its donation by Emperor Wilhelm II also constituted an important gesture in the early stages of the reconstruction of the municipal collections, which had been totally destroyed in 1870, during the Siege of Strasbourg.[3]

References
  1. Broucke, Camille (December 2013). Musée de l'Oeuvre Notre-Dame. Arts du Moyen-Âge et de la Renaissance. Strasbourg: Éditions des Musées de Strasbourg. p. 183. ISBN 9782351251058.
  2. Dupeux, Cécile (December 1999). Strasbourg - Musée de l'Oeuvre Notre-Dame. Paris: Éditions Scala. pp. 84–85. ISBN 2-86656-223-2.
  3. Dupeux, Cécile (October 2009). Hans Haug, homme de musées. Une passion à l'oeuvre. Strasbourg: Musées de la ville de Strasbourg. pp. 96–97. ISBN 978-2-35125-071-6.
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