Giese himself probably commissioned this portrait. It impressively and allegorically shows in detail the workplace of a businessman of the 16th Century. An account book for accounting, a scale, a seal, writing utilities, coins and letters with readable writing unambiguously show that Giese is a merchant. The carnation in the front suggests, according to the symbolisation of that time, an engagement. Along with gold paint ("I’m longing for you") and rosemary, the plant of those who love, but also the plant of death. The precision of the use of materials such as glass, wood, parchment, linen, hair, silk etc. shows Hans Holbein the Younger’s masterly skills.
The merchant Georg Gisze by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1532, Gemäldegalerie, Saaaliche Museen zu Berlin (Germany)
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This TikTok goes into this painting in depth www.tiktok.com/t/ZThoUHXch/
