Portrait of Johann (?) Vogt

Known as the Wrocław Robert de Niro because of the uncanny resemblance to the Hollywood actor, the portrait of Vogt is a top class painting of his time. The portrayed man was a member of the Vogt family, as the beautifully calligraphed coat of arms indicates.

Art historians are not sure though if it is Johann (a landowner and a town councillor in Wrocław) or Niclas (who belonged to the intellectual elite in Wrocław and was only 5 years younger than Johann). The contrast between the dark background and the expressive and realistic modelling of the man’s face are key characteristics of this painting and refer to similar Northern European portraits and the tradition of Early Renaissance German art. The man’s attire is depicted schematically, showing a moderate dark clothing of a town officer, with a clear bright collar. The research resulted in attribution of the painting to Bartholomaeus Strobel, one of the most significant artists of the 17th century in Central Europe. It is the first portrait by Strobel with such undefined, even background, which he later used frequently in his works. An interesting detail also speaks for the correct attribution: a calligraphic style of the date below the coat of arms, especially the characteristic number “6” and punctuation, which was surely done by hand by the artist himself.

Anyways, the guy looks like ROBERT DE NIRO, DOESN'T HE??