Cardinal Granvelle's Dwarf

Antonis Mor, the foremost portrait painter of the mid-16th century Habsburg courts, painted this portrait of Cardinal Granvelle's dwarf around 1560. Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle was the powerful minister to Philip II in the Netherlands, and court dwarfs were common in aristocratic households of the period. Mor's unflinching realism and psychological depth made him the most sought-after portraitist in Europe, admired by both Spanish and Northern European patrons.

Mor's precise, analytical approach to portraiture is evident in the careful observation of physical features and costume. The painting combines Spanish formality of pose with Netherlandish attention to surface detail, characteristics that defined Mor's influential style.