Martin Kober (1550 - 1598)

Martin Kober

Martin Kober was a Polish painter of the second half of the 16th century of German origin. He is known as a court portrait painter, the founder of this genre in Poland.

Kober was a court painter who worked with various monarchs of Central Europe, including the Holy Roman Emperor, Polish kings and queens Stephen Bathory, Rudolf II, Anna Jagiellonka, and Sigismund III Vasa. Kober was the first artist in Poland to specialize in formal portraiture. His work had a significant influence on royal iconography and played an important role in the development of Polish portraiture. Kober was also an important representative of the early Baroque and his style found many imitators.