Art! Art! Art! › Works

Katharina von Gail

Bartholomaeus Bruyn the Elder, 1530s

Katharina von Gail is a painting dated to the 1530s and held by the Department of Paintings of the Louvre. The museum's record places it in Room 809. This page sets out what is known, what to look for in front of the work, and how to plan your visit.

Where to see it

Katharina von Gail belongs to the Department of Paintings of the Louvre, and its recorded location is Room 809. Display arrangements at large museums change for conservation, rehanging and loans, so check the Louvre's official website for current display status, opening hours and ticketing before you visit. If you are making the trip for this painting in particular, confirm that it is on view in Room 809 shortly before your visit. Staff at the information desks can help with directions once you are inside.

What to look for in person

A tall, narrow format

The panel or canvas measures 105 cm high by 57 cm wide, so it is almost twice as tall as it is wide. Before you step close, stand back and see how the artist used this upright shape. Notice how the figure or composition fills the vertical space, where the eye is drawn first, and how much room is left around the main subject. At just over a metre high, the work is large enough to read clearly from a few paces away.

A work of the 1530s

The painting is dated to the 1530s, a decade when painters across Europe were refining the conventions of picture-making that defined the sixteenth century. As you look, consider how the date shows in the details: the handling of surfaces, the treatment of light and the level of finish. Comparing it with other works from the same decade in the Department of Paintings can help you see what this picture shares with its contemporaries and where it stands apart.

Looking closely at the sitter

The title names a specific person, Katharina von Gail, which suggests the painting records an individual rather than an invented figure. In front of the work, take time with the face, the hands and any clothing, jewellery or objects shown. In paintings of named people, these details often signal status, identity or family ties. Look for inscriptions, coats of arms or dates painted into the background, which artists sometimes added to identify a sitter. Then step back to see how these details fit the whole.

About the painting

Katharina von Gail is part of the Department of Paintings of the Louvre, one of the museum's curatorial departments, which looks after its collection of paintings. The work is dated to the 1530s and measures 105 by 57 centimetres. The museum's record places it in Room 809. The title gives a person's name, and the form of that name, with the particle 'von', is typical of German-speaking regions. It is reasonable to approach the picture as a likeness of a particular woman, but this page does not state who she was, who painted her, or why the work was made, because those points are not confirmed in the source used here. Visitors who want firm attribution and provenance should consult the Louvre's own collection database, which is the authoritative record for the work. The painting's tall, narrow proportions are its most immediately noticeable physical feature, and they reward a viewing that moves between a distant look at the overall design and a close look at surface detail. Paintings of named individuals from this period often carry clues about the sitter in their costume, accessories and any painted lettering, so these are worth searching for. Because the Louvre's galleries hold a great many works, it helps to plan your route in advance and allow enough time to find Room 809 without rushing. Remember that display arrangements change, so confirm on the museum's official website that the painting is on view before you go.

Key facts

More by Bartholomaeus Bruyn the Elder

• Philipp von Gail — Louvre Museum

Sources

• Wikidata Q29654736
• www.louvre.fr
• contact.louvre.fr