Boy with Arrow
around 1505 | Giorgio da Castelfranco, gen. Giorgione
This half-length portrait of an idealised young man with luxuriant curls and an arrow in his right hand is hard to interpret: while the arrow suggests Eros, it may also represent an idealised portrait of the „handsome“ St. Sebastian with his attribute. The soft sfumato and the delicate colours shining from out of the dark background heighten the poetic charm of his rapturous expression and turn the picture into an icon of youthful beauty.
This half-length portrait of an idealised young man with luxuriant curls and an arrow in his right hand is hard to interpret: while the arrow suggests Eros, it may also represent an idealised portrait of the „handsome“ St. Sebastian with his attribute. The soft sfumato and the delicate colours shining from out of the dark background heighten the poetic charm of his rapturous expression and turn the picture into an icon of youthful beauty.
Artist:
Giorgio da Castelfranco, gen. Giorgione (um 1477 Castelfranco - 1510 Venedig) DNB
Time:
around 1505
Object Name
Painting
Culture
Italian, Venetian
Material/technology:
Poplar wood
Dimensions:
Overall: 48 cm × 41,8 cm
Framed: 62 cm × 56,5 cm × 6 cm
Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie
Invs.
Gemäldegalerie, 323
Provenance
1663 from Innsbruck to Ambras; 1773 to Vienna