Portrait of a Young Man

About this artwork

**Portrait of a Young Man by Jacometto (ometto Veneziano), in the 1480s, captures the elegance of Venetian Renaissance portraiture in a compact oil-on-wood panel measuring just 11 x 8¼ inches. This intimate scale suggests it was likely a personal commission, perhaps for a private patron, highlighting the era's growing emphasis on individualized likenesses among the emerging merchant class in Venice. Oil on wood was a favored medium in late 15th-century Italy, allowing for rich glazes and luminous effects that brought subjects to life with remarkable realism. Jacometto, a Venetian artist, exemplifies the technical prowess of his time, blending Northern European influences—like those from Antonello da Messina—with local traditions of refined detail and psychological depth. The portrait reflects the cultural values of Renaissance Venice, where such works served as status symbols and historical documents of fashion, identity, and social standing. Now part of The Jules Bache Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Paintings department (1949), this piece offers a window into the artistic evolution of portraiture, inviting visitors to ponder the young man's story amid the bustling canals of 1480s Venice.