The artwork “Portrait of Oswolt Krel” by Albrecht Dürer, created in 1499, is an oil painting on panel from the Northern Renaissance period. The painting dimensions are 49.4 cm in height and 15.7 cm in width. Currently, the portrait is housed at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, Germany.
The image shows a triptych-style arrangement with three separate panels. The central panel features a man identified as Oswolt Krel. The person in the portrait has curly hair and is gazing directly at the viewer, lending an immediate and personal connection. He is dressed in a style indicative of the period, sporting a black garment with a fur-lined collar.
To the left and right of the central portrait panel are narrower panels containing figures that appear allegorical or symbolic in nature. The left side reveals an elderly man wielding a large scythe and shield with a lion, suggestive of the concept of time and mortality. The right panel presents a wild man, a figure often associated with the natural, untamed aspects of the world, supporting a heraldic shield. The figures flank the central portrait in a manner that might provide insight into the identity or social standing of Oswolt Krel or convey a moral or philosophical message in line with Renaissance symbolism.
Together, these three panels tell us a visual narrative related to the central figure, crafting a complex iconography that speaks to the era’s love of allegory and personal virtue.
