This historic mid-16th-century, half-length, South German School oil on panel depicts a gentleman wearing a fur-trimmed coat and black cap, while holding a small glass and, what appears to be, a pair of gloves.During the 1540s, outfits became increasingly sombre, and dark tones increased in popularity. This was seen as a rejection of the frivolities of fashion, yet also conveyed the owner’s wealth, as black dye was exceedingly expensive. A gentleman''s usual garments included a shirt and doublet, together with hose (for the upper part of the leg) and stockings (for the lower). Codpieces were also ‘de rigueur’. In a portrait of The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V by Titian in 1548, he wears a similar ensemble to our sitter. Following many years of war with the Ottoman Empire, the severity of his outfit is unsurprising. While, Lucas Cranach the Elder’s portrait of Elector Frederic the Wise and Hans Muelich’s (1516-1573) portrait of a man from 1548 are also interesting to compare....