Portrait of Thomas Stachel

Portrait of Thomas Stachel, circa 1540, in the Louvre, is among the most securely identified portraits in Bordone's corpus — a German merchant or official named in the work's inscription. Bordone painted a significant number of German sitters, reflecting the commercial and cultural connections between Venice and the German merchant community established at the Fondaco dei Tedeschi on the Grand Canal. Stachel's portrait shows Bordone's mature portraiture at its most formal: the three-quarter pose, neutral background, and sober costume characteristic of mid-century Italian male portraiture. The Louvre acquired this work through its extensive Italian holdings, which include a broad range of sixteenth-century Venetian portraiture.

The three-quarter view allows modelling of the face's full three-dimensional volume through light and shadow. Bordone uses a warm mid-tone ground that remains visible in the shadowed areas, unifying the tonal range. The sitter's dark costume is relieved by white collar and cuffs, which frame the face and hands — the portrait's psychological centres.