| Artist | |
|---|---|
| Culture | German |
| Date | ca. 1663 |
| Object type | painting |
| Medium, technique | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 117 × 90 cm |
| Inventory number | 426 |
| Collection | Old Master Paintings |
| On view | Museum of Fine Arts, First Floor, European Art 1600–1700 and British Painting 1600–1800, Cabinet 2 |
Roos, a Protestant, was expecting more than a commission for a portrait when he turned to Johann Philipp von Schönborn (1605–1673), archbishop and elector of Mainz. The writing held in the elector’s right hand is presumably Roos’s application for a position as court painter, which the Catholic prelate rejected. In an unmistakable sign of his benevolence, however, he commissioned this portrait, for which he rewarded the artist not only with the requisite honorarium, but also with a gold chain. The painter captured the ageing man without idealisation, simultaneously conveying his dignity.
Pigler, Andor, Katalog der Galerie Alter Meister, 1-2. Museum der Bildenden Künste, Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest. 2, Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1967, p. 588.
This record is subject to revision due to ongoing research.
