Portrait of a Man
early 1520s
Medium
oil on panel
Dimensions
overall: 88.7 x 67.9 cm (34 15/16 x 26 3/4 in.) framed: 119.4 x 97.5 x 10.2 cm (47 x 38 3/8 x 4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CIS-R
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Samuel H. Kress Collection
Accession Number
1961.9.59
Art Historical Context
Rosso Fiorentino, a pioneering voice in the Mannerist movement that followed the High Renaissance, created this striking portrait in the early 1520s. Active primarily in Florence, Rosso brought an innovative edge to traditional portraiture through his use of elongated forms, intense emotional presence, and unconventional color harmonies. Painted during a period of artistic experimentation after the death of Raphael, the work reflects the shifting tastes of early sixteenth-century Italy, where patrons sought images that conveyed both psychological depth and refined elegance. Executed in oil on...
About the Artist
Rosso Fiorentino · 1494–1540
Italian, Florence 1494–1540 Fontainebleau