This portrait was one of Holbein's first commissions as a master painter in Basel. The young academic Bonifacius (or Boniface) Amerbach (1495–1562), a printer's son, became a friend and admirer of Holbein, as both men mixed in humanist circles in Basel. Amerbach, who went on to teach Roman law at Basel University, was also a friend of the great humanist scholar Desiderius Erasmus, who made him his sole heir. He became a collector of Holbein's art, and his collection, expanded by his son Basilius, formed the core of Basel's art museum. The almost square format of the picture is unusual. Behind the sitter are a fig tree and a range of snow-covered mountains. The inscription tablet on the left of the sitter contains Latin verse by Amerbach that translates: "Although a painted face, I am not second to the living face; I am the gentleman's equal, and I am distinguished by correct lines. He has lived eight periods of three years, and through me this work of art depicts with diligence what belongs to nature". This is followed by the names of Amerbach and Holbein and a precise date.