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Portrait of a Young Man

ca. 1470
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 602

Trained in Naples in the Netherlandish technique of oil painting, Antonello set the standard for portraiture when he went from Sicily to Venice in 1475. The incipient smile in this portrait provides an indication of the inner life of the sitter, who engages the viewer with his direct gaze. Through these subtle effects, Antonello endowed his portraits with suggestions of personality, in addition to capturing surface appearances.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Portrait of a Young Man
  • Artist: Antonello da Messina (Antonello di Giovanni d'Antonio) (Italian, Messina ca. 1430–1479 Messina)
  • Date: ca. 1470
  • Medium: Oil on wood
  • Dimensions: 10 5/8 x 8 1/8 in. (27 x 20.6 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913
  • Object Number: 14.40.645
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Group of Draped Figures, Antonello da Messina (Antonello di Giovanni d'Antonio), Tip of the brush (or fine pen?) and brown ink
Group of Draped Figures
Antonello da Messina (Antonello di Giovanni d'Antonio)
early 1460s
Christ Crowned with Thorns, Antonello da Messina (Antonello di Giovanni d'Antonio) Italian, Oil, possibly over tempera, on wood
Christ Crowned with Thorns
Antonello da Messina (Antonello di Giovanni d'Antonio)
The Holy Family with the Young Saint John the Baptist, Andrea del Sarto (Andrea d'Agnolo) Italian, Oil on wood
The Holy Family with the Young Saint John the Baptist
Andrea del Sarto (Andrea d'Agnolo)
ca. 1528
The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist, Perino del Vaga (Pietro Buonaccorsi) Italian, Oil on wood
The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist
Perino del Vaga (Pietro Buonaccorsi)
ca. 1524–26
Portrait of a Young Man, Bronzino (Agnolo di Cosimo di Mariano) Italian, Oil on wood
Portrait of a Young Man
Bronzino (Agnolo di Cosimo di Mariano)
1530s

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