Benedikt von Hertenstein (born about 1495, died 1522)

The detailed portrait, Benedikt von Hertenstein (born about 1495, died 1522), was created by Hans Holbein the Younger in 1517. This painting captures the likeness of the young nobleman during Holbein’s early career in Basel, before his relocation to England. The piece is highly unusual for its complex medium: oil and gold applied directly to paper, which was subsequently laid down onto a wooden panel for support. This technique allowed the Younger to achieve remarkable precision and subtle detail, particularly in rendering the sitter's luxurious textures and the delicate highlights of his ornamentation.

Benedikt von Hertenstein, who was a member of a prominent family from Lucerne, died five years after this portrait was finished. The work functions not merely as a record of appearance but as an assertion of the subject's status within the social structure of the early sixteenth century. The Younger’s keen attention to the psychological depth of his subjects establishes him as one of the foremost portrait artists of the Northern Renaissance. This celebrated work is a key example of the artist's Swiss period and remains a prized holding in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Given its early date and established historical significance, high-resolution images of this masterwork are frequently featured in art publications and made available as prints through public domain resources.