Austrian or German School, c. 16th century, Emperor Heinrich III

77,5 x 50,5 cm
Oil on wood panel

Inscription: Heinrich mit dem Bart Teutscher Kayser (Heinrich with the beard German Emperor) 1017 † 1056 (dates not authentic) The painting depicts an emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Dressed in a red cloak, he holds orb and a sceptre. He wears a crown on his head, but it does not correspond to the famous Imperial Crown (today in the treasury in Vienna). Brocade medallions with the imperial eagle are sewn onto the dark undergarment. The shape of the sceptre shows Renaissance forms. According to the inscription, it is Emperor Heinrich III. The painting was most likely part of a series of images of the emperor. Such sequences often decorated halls on castles or in town halls of imperial cities