Portrait of a Young Man
Medium
oil and gold on wood
Dimensions
unframed: 97.2 × 77.5 cm · framed: 128.2 × 102.2 × 11.5 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
European Painting and Sculpture
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Holden Collection
Accession Number
1916.803
Tags
About this artwork
Like other paintings from the Dossi workshop, this work conveys the sitter's social status and self-confidence. He holds a crumpled letter written in Italian. The words Asto, meaning "ship mast," and mare, meaning "sea," suggest that trade was a topic of this letter. References to anatomy and the word bella imply a discussion of the magnificence of human anatomy, an interest that spread rapidly during the Renaissance. The letter likewise communicates the young man's considerable education. This ...