Metamorphosis. A Portrait of a man holding gloves by the Master of the 1540s

This Portrait of a man by the Master of the 1540s has known a remarkable history, both in terms of ownership and especially in its change of outlook, hence the title Metamorphosis. Since 1907 it has been part of a stylistically coherent group of portraits, given by Max J. Friedländer to the so-called Master of the 1540s in 1936. In this article I have tried to give a full account of the picture’s provenance history, the various restorations it underwent and the changes in its outlook which were the result of these restorations, making use of historical photographs as well as modern methods of... Mehr ...