Male portraits by Antonello da Messina
Encyclopedia
Portrait of a Man is the conventional title of several male portraits finished by the Italian Renaissance artist Antonello da Messina
in the course of his career. These include the famous portrait usually known as The condottiero, now in the Louvre of Paris.
(Lombardy
) is signed according to the Flemish habit, by directly engraving the painter's name on the parapet in the lower foreground (instead of using a false glued panel), like the Madrid portrait. Despite the sign, the strict nearness to the Flemish portrait art and the poor state of preservation have pushed some scholars to doubt about the attribution to Antonello.
The work has been dated to the 1460s basing on the fashion of the subject's dress and headgear.
, in Madrid
, Spain
.
Among Antonello's portraits, it is among the most expressively animated ones. The subject, a young man, is drawn from a quite near point of view, with the usual skill in details rendering.
The picture has been approximatively dated to the early 1470s, basing on the typical "zuccotto" headgear, a fashion more characteristical of 1460s Italy.
The subject, whose identity has remained unknown, is painted with an enigmatic face, a mix of defiance and haughty detachment. The Italian scholar Federico Zeri
defined it "a broadminded glance of banker or trader's pushiness". The work is regarded at one of the points in which Antonello overcomes the Flemish influences and experimentations, creating a definite combinations of rendering of the character together with artistical research.
The painting is housed in the Turin City Museum of Ancient Art
.
, Germany
.
Relevant is the insertion by Antonello of a landscape in the background, as other artists (including Giovanni Bellini
) used this innovative feature only starting from the 1490s. The picture shows influences from the late Flemish paintings, as can be seen from the rendering of the dress, similar to a Van Eyck
portrait now at Sibiu
.
Antonello da Messina
Antonello da Messina, properly Antonello di Giovanni di Antonio was an Italian painter from Messina, Sicily, active during the Italian Renaissance...
in the course of his career. These include the famous portrait usually known as The condottiero, now in the Louvre of Paris.
Portrait of a Man (1460s - Pavia)
The picture, in the Town Museum of PaviaPavia
Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...
(Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
) is signed according to the Flemish habit, by directly engraving the painter's name on the parapet in the lower foreground (instead of using a false glued panel), like the Madrid portrait. Despite the sign, the strict nearness to the Flemish portrait art and the poor state of preservation have pushed some scholars to doubt about the attribution to Antonello.
The work has been dated to the 1460s basing on the fashion of the subject's dress and headgear.
Portrait of a Man (c. 1475, Madrid)
This portrait, finished c. 1475, is housed in the Museo Thyssen-BornemiszaMuseo Thyssen-Bornemisza
The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, or in Spanish Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, is an art museum near the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain. It is known as a part of the "Golden Triangle of Art", which also includes the Prado and the Reina Sofia galleries...
, in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Among Antonello's portraits, it is among the most expressively animated ones. The subject, a young man, is drawn from a quite near point of view, with the usual skill in details rendering.
The picture has been approximatively dated to the early 1470s, basing on the typical "zuccotto" headgear, a fashion more characteristical of 1460s Italy.
Portrait of a Man (1476, Turin)
Often called Trivulzio portrait, this portrait was signed by Antonello and dated 1476. Probably one of the first works finished by him in Messina after his return from the Venetian sojourn, it is painted over walnut-wood, whereas in the Veneto, at the time, poplar wood was more common.The subject, whose identity has remained unknown, is painted with an enigmatic face, a mix of defiance and haughty detachment. The Italian scholar Federico Zeri
Federico Zeri
Federico Zeri was an Italian art historian. He was born in Rome.In 1963 he directed the foundation of the John Paul Getty Museum of Malibu. He was a specialist in the Italian painting of the 13th and 14th centuries, and latterly professor at the Catholic University of Milan...
defined it "a broadminded glance of banker or trader's pushiness". The work is regarded at one of the points in which Antonello overcomes the Flemish influences and experimentations, creating a definite combinations of rendering of the character together with artistical research.
The painting is housed in the Turin City Museum of Ancient Art
Turin City Museum of Ancient Art
The Turin City Museum of Ancient Art is a museum located in the Palazzo Madama palace, in Turin, northern Italy.The museum has a rare collection of artifacts from Gandhara, coming from the Italian excavations of the IsMEO at the Butkara Stupa in Pakistan....
.
Portrait of a Young Man (c. 1478, Berlin)
This work was signed by Antonello, and has been considered his very last work if the date on it is interpreted as 1478. It is therefore his last male portrait, and it housed in the Staatliche Museen (Gemäldegalerie) of BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Relevant is the insertion by Antonello of a landscape in the background, as other artists (including Giovanni Bellini
Giovanni Bellini
Giovanni Bellini was an Italian Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of Venetian painters. His father was Jacopo Bellini, his brother was Gentile Bellini, and his brother-in-law was Andrea Mantegna. He is considered to have revolutionized Venetian painting, moving it...
) used this innovative feature only starting from the 1490s. The picture shows influences from the late Flemish paintings, as can be seen from the rendering of the dress, similar to a Van Eyck
Van Eyck
Van Eyck , also Van Eijk is a Dutch surname meaning "of Eyck" or "of Eijk"...
portrait now at Sibiu
Sibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
.