Portrait of a Young Man; (reverse) Girl Making a Garland

ca. 1508
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 612

Double-sided portraits from the Renaissance sometimes combine a straightforward depiction of the sitter with a more symbolic picture on the reverse. This example pairs the likeness of a young man with the image of a girl making a flower garland in a windowsill. A curling banderole above her reads, "I bind with forget-me-nots," while the cat symbolizes respectable love. Viewed in sequence, the two sides of the portrait confirm the young man’s identity as a bridegroom.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Portrait of a Young Man; (reverse) Girl Making a Garland
  • Artist: Hans Süss von Kulmbach (German, Kulmbach ca. 1480–1522 Nuremberg)
  • Date: ca. 1508
  • Medium: Oil on poplar
  • Dimensions: 7 x 5 1/2 in. (17.8 x 14 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.190.21
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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Hans Süss von Kulmbach - Portrait of a Young Man; (reverse) Girl Making a Garland - The Metropolitan Museum of Art