Young Man Holding a Book
The heart-shaped book this sitter holds is probably a prayer book; he is depicted before a view of the church of Saint Gudula in Brussels, where a mass is performed by a priest in the background. It is possible this formed the right wing of a devotional diptych; as such, the shape of the book would echo the open form of two joined, arch-shaped panels.
Artwork Details
- Title: Young Man Holding a Book
- Artist: Master of the View of Saint Gudula (Netherlandish, active ca. 1485)
- Date: ca. 1480
- Medium: Oil on wood
- Dimensions: Overall, with arched top, 8 1/4 x 5 1/8 in. (21 x 13 cm); painted surface 8 1/8 x 5 in. (20.6 x 12.6 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Bequest of Mary Stillman Harkness, 1950
- Object Number: 50.145.27
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
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