Self Portrait

It was when he was around 45 years old that Johan Gregor van der Schardt made this remarkable self portrait. In this half-sized bust the artist portrayed himself bare-shouldered, with his head turning confidently to one side. The pose was based on figures known from classical architecture. When Van der Schardt made this self portrait he was at the height of his fame. While in the service of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II, he also took on private commissions at Nuremberg, where he lived. He produced several painted terracotta portraits of the town's wealthy burghers, the same technique he used for his self portrait. This bust is one of the earliest self portraits by a sculptor. It was part of the collection of curiosities of a friend, the leading silk merchant Paulus Praun.