Skip to content

Bildnismalerei

portrait painting as a genre

noun BILT-nis-mah-le-rai Rare

Usage Note

Bildnismalerei is the genre of portrait painting, from individual Bildnisse (likenesses) to group portraits. It flourished in the Netherlands in the 17th century. Feminine noun; slightly more formal than Porträtmalerei.

Examples

"Die Bildnismalerei war im Bürgertum des 17. Jahrhunderts äußerst beliebt."

Natural Translation

Portrait painting was extremely popular among the bourgeoisie of the 17th century.

Literal Translation

The portrait-painting was in the bourgeoisie of the 17th century extremely popular.

Explore German by topic