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45,46 Portrait of Philipp von Gail (1496-1558), merchant of Cologne and member of the Counsel of this city, and his five sons
Portrait of Katharina von Gail, née von Mülheim (died in 1540) and her two daughters

Bartholomaeus Bruyn was a painter active mainly in Cologne during the first half of the sixteenth century. He was particularly popular among the local nobility and produced numerous portraits of married couples and families. As in these two works, family portraits in Germany and the Netherlands often depicted the father with his sons and the mother with her daughters. The head of the household depicted here is Philipp von Gail, a merchant and city councilor in Cologne. He and his family are dressed in garments befitting their social status, made of luxurious materials such as velvet and fur. A family coat of arms appears on a piece of paper in the background of each painting, indicating the family’s lineage.