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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

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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)
Lobster-Tail Burgonet, Steel, leather, gold, North Italian
Lobster-Tail Burgonet
North Italian
ca. 1610
The Backgammon Players, Philip Webb British, Painted pine, oil paint on leather, brass, copper, British
The Backgammon Players
Designer Philip Webb
Manufacturer Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co.
Painted by Sir Edward Burne-Jones
1861
Tommaso di Folco Portinari (1428–1501); Maria Portinari (Maria Maddalena Baroncelli, born 1456), Hans Memling Netherlandish, Oil on oak
Tommaso di Folco Portinari (1428–1501); Maria Portinari (Maria Maddalena Baroncelli, born 1456)
Hans Memling
ca. 1470
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
Attributed to Antonello da Messina (Antonello di Giovanni d'Antonio)
early 1460s

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