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