This charming mid-19th-century oil painting by German artist Anton Benno Zottmayr (1795-1865) depicts a gentleman holding a letter. Zottmayr was an accomplished painter of portraits, working during the Biedermeier period.Attired in a fine black suit with matching necktie and pleated white shirt, he�s a man of distinguished comportment. He�s a �chest out, shoulders back� kind of chap and waxes his moustache with keen attentiveness. In his left hand, he holds a missive and points his index finger towards the wax seal. Presumably, it�s usually imprinted with his family heraldry but, alas, not displayed on the painting.Born in Amberg, Zottmayr was raised amid relatively affluent surroundings as his father, Balthasar Zottmayr, was an appeals court lawyer. As such, his early years were spent developing his nous for legal matters, studying at both the Royal Institute and the Royal Seminary in his hometown.It�s likely that law would�ve become his full-time vocation but, following the death of his uncle, he inherited a valuable collection of paintings, which altered his mindset irrevocably. From this point on, he was so taken by the beauty of the pieces at hand that he dedicated his life to pursuing art as a career.His first step was to enrol at the prestigious Munich Academy of Fine Arts where he began to specialise as a portrait painter while also producing historical and religious works. His training served him well as, before long, he was undertaking numerous commissions for middle-class patrons.He lived during the �Biedermeier period�, a time of great change, whereby the middle class were evolving. Interior decoration became high on the agenda, along with presenting an image of moderation, modesty and contentment. Portraits were integral to the home, particularly as the aristocratic �old money� had walls adorned with them.Artists flourished, producing detailed scenes to celebrate family values and meticulous portraiture. Each sitter was rendered ...