Bruyn is recorded in the painters' guild of Cologne in 1518; he was probably at work there by 1515. There are altars documented as by Bruyn in Essen (1522-5) and Xanten (1529-34). Many portraits are attributed to him. He was influenced by the Master of the Death of the Virgin.
Bartholomeus Bruyn the Elder
1492/5 - 1555
Paintings by Bartholomeus Bruyn the Elder

The man in this portrait has not yet been identified. The upper ring on his left forefinger may provide a clue: it seems to show the arms of the Strauss family (the other ring seems to have shown another coat of arms which can no longer be deciphered). It has been suggested that the man depicted...

This panel was most probably the right-hand wing of a diptych (a painting made up of two panels), and was probably made in Cologne in the 1530s. The location of the left-hand panel is unknown, but it most probably showed the dead Christ.The figures huddle together and look in the direction of the...