Deutsch: Georg Giese, auch Gisze, (* 1497 in Danzig; † 1562 in Danzig) war ein Kaufmann, der ab dem Jahr 1522 im Londoner Hanse-Kontor, dem sogenannten Stalhof, für die Kölner Hanseniederlassung tätig war.
Holbein painted this large portrait at the beginning of his second period in England in search of work, and it may be intended as a virtuoso showpiece for his gifts in portraiture and the depiction of objects and textures. It is the most sumptuous of his series of portraits of mainly German merchants of the Steelyard, a complex of offices, warehouses, and residences on the north bank of the Thames in London. Familiar with Holbein's wider reputation, the merchants were quick to take advantage of his presence in London. The Danzig merchant Georg Gisze (or Giese) is shown among the paraphernalia of his trade: money, pen, seal, inkpots, balance, boxes, scissors, keys. On a table covered with a Turkey rug stands a vase of carnations, perhaps symbolising his betrothal (Gisze married Christine Krüger in Danzig in 1535).
On the surface, the picture appears super-realistic; but on closer inspection it contains a series of deliberate optical paradoxes. The walls, for example, are not at a right angle, and the table, as shown in the bottom right of the painting, where objects overhang its edge, is not rectangular. Certain objects on the table are not painted flat to the surface, and the vase and the money tin are precariously positioned. The overlapping of the book by the note, or cartellino, fixed to the wall by sealing wax, is an optical illusion given the bulk of the book. The balance hangs unstably from the shelf; and next to it is inscribed Gisze's motto: "Nulla sine merore voluptas" (no pleasure without regret), implying a symbolic connection with the scales. According to art historian Stephanie Buck, "The apparently splendid world of the rich merchant Gisze is thus by no means as sound and stable as it appears at first" (Buck, pp. 88–95).
<nowiki>Портрет Георга Гизе; ゲオルク・ギーゼの肖像; Le Marchand Georg Gisze; Der Kaufmann Georg Gisze; The Merchant Georg Gisze; Tirgotāja Georga Gīzes portrets; Handelsmannen Georg Gisze; Retrato del mercader Gisze; pittura di Hans Holbein il Giovane; Hans Holbein festménye; pintura de Hans Holbein el Mozu; quadre de Hans Holbein el Jove; Porträt von Hans Holbein dem Jüngeren; pintura de Hans Holbein, o Jovem; painting by Hans Holbein; maleri af Hans Holbein den yngre; pictură de Hans Holbein cel Tânăr; obraz Hansa Holbeina (młodszego); målning av Hans Holbein den yngre; måleri av Hans Holbein den yngre; portrett malt av Hans Holbein d.y.; schilderij van Hans Holbein de Jonge; tableau de Hans Holbein le Jeune; pikturo da Hans Holbein; cuadro de Hans Holbein el Joven; portrait by Hans Holbein the Younger; pintura de Hans Holbein o Novo; pentraĵo de Hans Holbein la malpliaĝa; pintura de Hans Holbein; pintura di Hans Holbein</nowiki>