Portret van Christopher Peutinger - Lucas Kilian

A detailed seventeenth-century engraving by Lucas Kilian, featuring the portrait of Konrad Peutinger framed by elaborate heraldic motifs.

This engraving by Lucas Kilian depicts the German humanist and antiquarian Konrad Peutinger, often referred to in historical records by the Latinised name Christopher Peutinger. Kilian, a member of a prominent family of engravers based in Augsburg, demonstrates his technical proficiency through the precise application of burin work. The portrait is contained within a formal oval frame, a common convention for seventeenth-century portraiture, which serves to isolate the subject from the surrounding decorative elements.

The subject is dressed in the attire of a sixteenth-century scholar and official, featuring a fur-lined garment that suggests his social standing. His expression is composed, reflecting the intellectual gravity associated with his profession. The surrounding frame is adorned with heraldic shields and scrollwork, which provide context regarding his lineage and alliances. These decorative motifs are executed with a high degree of control, balancing the realism of the portrait with the ornamental requirements of the period.

Kilian utilises a system of cross-hatching and varied line weights to model the form of the face and the texture of the fur. The background within the oval is filled with fine, radiating lines that draw the eye toward the subject. The lower portion of the print incorporates a central coat of arms, flanked by smaller shields, which anchors the composition. This work provides a clear example of the formal portraiture traditions prevalent in Southern Germany during the early seventeenth century, where the marriage of technical precision and heraldic display was standard for documenting figures of public importance.