Portrait of Georg Knauer

Also known as: Portrait Plaque of Georg Knauer

About the Artwork

George Knauer sits behind a classical archway holding a personal letter. His age appears in the background while the date and the artist's initials "PD" are in the corners. With this relief, Dell was competing with painted portraiture. The emergence of small portrait reliefs coincided with the growing popularity of portrait medals. Produced in limited numbers, roughly two hundred wood reliefs survive today.

Provenance

Spitzer Dr. Jacob Hirsch (Geneva, Switzerland), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1927.

Exhibition history

The Silver Jubilee Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 23-September 28, 1941). Portraiture: The Image of the Individual. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 22, 1983-January 22, 1984).

Quick Overview

Artist: Peter Dell (German, 1490–1552)
Date: 1537
Medium: pearwood
Dimensions: Overall: 14 x 8.9 cm (5 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.)
Type: Sculpture
Classification: Sculpture
Department: European Painting and Sculpture
Credit line: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession no.: 1927.427

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.