Hans Asper

Asper was born in Zürich around 1499.^[1] He was the son of Heinrich Asper, who came from a Zürich council family.^[2] In 1526 he married a daughter of the Zürich councillor Ludwig Nöggi.^[1] He is thought to have studied with Hans Leu the Younger and appears to have known the art of Hans Holbein the Younger at an early stage.^[1]

From 1545 he served on Zürich’s Great Council as a representative of the Meisenzunft.^[1] In 1567 the council granted him a life pension in recognition of his services, but he died in poor circumstances in 1571.^[3] Two of his sons, Hans Rudolf Asper and Rudolf Asper, also became painters.^[2]

Asper established his artistic reputation through portrait painting.^[3] Around 30 portraits by him are known, dating from 1531 to 1560. His portraits are characterized by sharply defined outlines, monochrome backgrounds, and strong colours, and usually show their subjects in profile, three-quarter, or frontal view.^[3]

One of his earliest known works is a 1531 portrait of Huldrych Zwingli painted in oil on parchment.^[3] In the same year, as Zürich’s official city painter, he painted the small council chamber and the town clerk’s house. He later gilded the clock faces of St. Peter’s church tower in 1538–39 and produced façade paintings, banners, coats of arms, and topographical views for civic commissions. Much of this public work is now lost, apart from two coats of arms at Kyburg Castle and Laufen Castle.^[3]

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  Huldrych Zwingli, 1531
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  Cleophea Holzhalb, 1538
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  Huldrych Zwingli, 1549
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  Wilhelm Frölich, 1549, Asper's only full-length portrait
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  Regula Gwalther Zwingli and Anna Gwalther, 1549, Huldrych Zwingli's daughter and granddaughter
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  Pietro Martire Vermigli, 1560
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  Johannes Oekolampad