''Ambrosius Volmar Keller'' is a 1538

portrait painting Portrait Painting is a genre in painting, where the intent is to represent a specific human subject. The term 'portrait painting' can also describe the actual painted portrait. Portraitists may create their work by commission, for public and pr ...

by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Renaissance art Renaissance art (1350 – 1620 AD) is the painting, sculpture, and decorative arts of the period of European history known as the Renaissance, which emerged as a distinct style in Italy in about AD 1400, in parallel with developments which occ ...

ist

Hans Baldung Hans Baldung (1484 or 1485 – September 1545), called Hans Baldung Grien, (being an early nickname, because of his predilection for the colour green), was a painter, printer, engraver, draftsman, and stained glass artist, who was considered th ...

. The painting was offered to the city of

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

German Emperor Wilhelm II , house = Hohenzollern , father = Frederick III, German Emperor , mother = Victoria, Princess Royal , religion = Lutheranism (Prussian United) , signature = Wilhelm II, German Emperor Signature-.svg Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor ...

, from his private collection, in 1890. It is on display in the

Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame The Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame (or Frauenhausmuseum in German) is the city of Strasbourg's museum for Upper Rhenish fine arts and decorative arts, dating from the early Middle Ages until 1681. The museum is famous for its collection of orig ...

. Its inventory number is MBA 191 ("MBA" stands for '' Musée des Beaux-Arts''). Ambrosius Volmar Keller was the nephew of the

prior Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be l ...

of Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune Church, at a time when that church still entirely belonged to the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, and had just been made

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western can ...

; he would himself become prior of Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune in 1558. The solemn portrait celebrates the young Keller's

gravitas ''Gravitas'' () was one of the ancient Roman virtues that denoted "seriousness". It is also translated variously as weight, dignity, and importance and connotes restraint and moral rigor. It also conveys a sense of responsibility and commitment ...

and new social status. ''Ambrosius Volmar Keller'' is Baldung's largest and last portrait painting, and the only one in which he used a landscape as a background. The symbolism of the conspicuous

grapevine ''Vitis'' (grapevine) is a genus of 79 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus is made up of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, b ...

growing behind Keller's back has not been entirely explained, it could be related to Christianity or to Northern European Renaissance humanism. The fact that Keller is sitting on the left and looking to the right suggests that the portrait may have had a lost

pendant A pendant is a loose-hanging piece of jewellery, generally attached by a small loop to a necklace, which may be known as a "pendant necklace". A pendant earring is an earring with a piece hanging down. Its name stems from the Latin word ...

, maybe a portrait of the elder Keller. The donation of the painting to the Strasbourg museum by Emperor Wilhelm II 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 The siege of Strasbourg took place during the Franco-Prussian War, and resulted in the French surrender of the fortress on 28 September 1870. After the German victory at Wörth, troops from the Grand Duchy of Baden under Prussian General Aug ...

References

External links

''Portrait du chanoine Ambrosius Volmar Keller''
presentation on the museum's website {{Hans Baldung 1538 paintings Paintings in the Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame Paintings by Hans Baldung Renaissance portraits Books in art Paintings in the collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg Oil paintings