Cipper was born in Austria but spent most of his career in Lombardy where he specialised in depictions of everyday life. An ordinary artist, dressed in a gown and cap, works on a portrait of a woman. On the right, two young assistants practice their drawing, while on the left another grinds paint with a muller. The pose of the figure on the artist's virtual canvas appears to be based on the assistant on the left, Cipper perhaps suggesting that the role of the artist is to transform nature rather than copy it.

No. 66