Portrait of an Elderly Man Holding a Tally Stick

The Master of the Legend of the Magdalene painted this Portrait of an Elderly Man Holding a Tally Stick around 1510, depicting a merchant or official whose professional attribute identifies his occupation in trade or accounting. The tally stick—notched wood used for keeping financial records—grounds this refined portrait in the world of commercial Brussels, where this anonymous Brussels master worked for an aristocratic and mercantile clientele. The inclusion of professional attributes in bourgeois male portraits became increasingly common in the early sixteenth century, reflecting humanist interest in the dignity of skilled labor and the social pride of successful merchants. The precise characterization of the elderly sitter's face demonstrates the Flemish tradition's commitment to exact physiognomic likeness over idealization.

The portrait shows the Brussels workshop's careful technique with precise physiognomic observation and detailed rendering of the occupational attribute that identifies the sitter's profession.