German School, early 16th Century

The elaborate armour of this knight and his mount, as well as the pendant of the Order of the Golden Fleece he wears on his breast, are indications of an important position in the Holy Roman Empire, probably under Maximilian I, who reigned until his death in 1519. It can be compared to the numerous depictions of such knights produced in the early decades of the 16th Century (see E. Michel, Emperor Maximilian I and the Age of Dürer, exhib. cat., Vienna, Albertina, 2012-2013). The attribution to Leonhard Beck under which it was sold at the Oppenheimer sale (see Provenance) must have been based on a comparison with the woodcuts of that artist, in particular his contributions to the Weisskunig (‘White King’),a fictionalized life of Maximilian.