Christoph von Laiming in his 59th year

Hans Wertinger's portrait of Christoph von Laiming in His 59th Year, dated 1517, depicts a Bavarian nobleman with his age precisely inscribed — a common convention in Northern Renaissance portraiture that emphasized the documentary function of the portrait. Wertinger was the court painter to the dukes of Bavaria in Landshut, producing portraits and religious works in a style that combined the Danube School's naturalism with the precision of the German portrait tradition.

The oil on canvas shows the meticulous German Renaissance portrait technique, with precise rendering of the sitter's aged features and costume details. The dark background and the direct, unflinching treatment of the sitter's physiognomy reflect the Northern European tradition of honest characterization.