Portrait of a Young Man

Cosmè Tura (Cosimo di Domenico di Bonaventura) Italian

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 611


This is the only surviving independent portrait by Tura, the imaginative court artist at Ferrara. It shows an unidentified member of the ruling Este family whose features resemble those of Tura’s patron Borso d’Este. The small, narrow format suggests the painting was designed to be portable, likely stored in a leather or parchment case when moved around. The profile view prevailed in Italy well into the fifteenth century, eventually replaced by the three-quarter view. For more about this painting, including its fascinating conservation history, visit its collection record at The Met website.

Portrait of a Young Man, Cosmè Tura (Cosimo di Domenico di Bonaventura) (Italian, Ferrara ca. 1433–1495 Ferrara), Tempera on wood

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.