Jacob fugger by durer praying
Jacob fugger by durer praying angels...
The presence of this portrait is documented, in the eighteenth century, in the gallery of the elector of Bavaria. Because of successive restorations, the top layer of colour is missing.
During the Diet of Augsburg, in , Dürer portrayed Jakob Fugger in a charcoal drawing.
Jacob fugger by durer praying
The final painting, on canvas, differs from the drawing in the wealthier clothing of the subject, and, above all, in the framing: a half-bust in the drawing, a half-length in the painting.
Jakob Fugger of Augsburg (), the wealthiest merchant of his day, learned the art of commerce in Venice.
He possessed a network of business agencies throughout Europe. His was the most important banking institution in Europe, and he had the monopoly of silver and copper mines. He obtained the right to mint the coins of the Vatican from Julius II, Leo X, and Adrian VI, and he had an important role in the system of tax collection and payment of indulgences from the Vatican coffers.
He heavily financed the political and military