Hans Maler zu Schwaz (1480/1488–1526/1529) was a German painter born in
Ulm and active as portraitist in the village of
Schwaz, near
Innsbruck. Maler may have trained with the German artist
Bartholomäus Zeitblom, who was chief master of the School of Ulm between 1484 and 1517. He painted numerous portraits of members of the
Habsburg court at Innsbruck as well as of wealthy merchants such as the
Fuggers.[1]
Maler's two most important patrons were
Ferdinand I of Austria, who at the time was
Archduke (Later
Emperor) and the celebrated Fuggers. Ferdinand is known to have commissioned at least three portraits of himself and four of his wife,
Anna of Bohemia and Hungary. Maler also painted portraits in 1517 of Sebastian Andorfer, a successful metal maker and merchant from Schwaz.[2] His portrait style rarely varied from his bust-format, where the subject's hands were not shown and without eye contact to the viewer.[3]
He received commissions early on in his career from Ferdinand's grandfather,
Maximilian I and was also commissioned in 1508 for frescoes depicting the
Habsburg family tree in
Ambras Castle.[4]