Joseph Heintz Il Vecchio Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

Joseph Heintz was born in Basel in 1564, completed his apprenticeship in the workshop of Hans Bock the Elder, where he took inspiration from the works of Hans Holbein the Younger, and from 1584 he stayed in Italy, first a few years only in Rome, then in Florence and Venice. In 1591 he was called to Prague to the court of Rudolf II, of whom he became the official portraitist. Read the full biography

Joseph Heintz was born in Basel in 1564, completed his apprenticeship in the workshop of Hans Bock the Elder, where he took inspiration from the works of Hans Holbein the Younger, and from 1584 he stayed in Italy, first a few years only in Rome, then in Florence and Venice. In 1591 he was called to Prague to the court of Rudolf II, of whom he became the official portraitist. In 1592-1596 he was again in Italy under the direction of the emperor and from 1608, until his death, he was active between Augsburg and Prague. He was also a lively painter of mythological subjects and allegories, influenced by Italian mannerism, although not at all familiar with the refinements of Correggio and Parmigianino. In this perspective he is one of the main exponents of the international manor of the courts at the beginning of the 17th century. He also painted religious subjects, intense and with elements anticipating the Baroque. His typical style shows a certain surface tension given by the contour line and strong color contrasts obtained through the use of complementary tones.