Portrait of Freiherr Max von Perfall auf Greifenstein (1814-1877)

This 1877 portrait of Freiherr Max von Perfall, a Bavarian nobleman and estate owner, represents Leibl's engagement with official portraiture — a genre he practiced alongside his peasant studies. The subject died the same year the portrait was completed, lending the canvas an unintentional valedictory character. Leibl's portraits of the Bavarian aristocracy and gentry are painted with the same unflinching directness he brought to his peasant subjects: there is no flattery, no elevation, just careful observation of a specific face and bearing. The Neue Pinakothek in Munich holds the work as part of its collection of German nineteenth-century masters.

Leibl renders the subject's features with his characteristic combination of tight detail in the face — every wrinkle and pore observed — and broader, more summary treatment of clothing. The background is minimal and neutral, directing full attention to the subject's physiognomy and expression.