Portrait of a Boy with Helmet
around 1510 (?) | Giorgio da Castelfranco, gen. Giorgione
The helmet with oak leaves which the young man looking to the right holds in his hands indicates he is a member of the della Rovere family, the dukes of Urbino. Francesco Maria (1490–1538) would be the most likely subject for this portrait, as his age (around 12–15) and the dating of the picture in stylistic terms broadly overlap. The “angular” fall of the folds, the small note on the wall to the right that creates a sense of space, above all the charming play of reflections in the helmet as well as the tense, melancholic facial expression, suggest Giorgione as creator of this work.
The helmet with oak leaves which the young man looking to the right holds in his hands indicates he is a member of the della Rovere family, the dukes of Urbino. Francesco Maria (1490–1538) would be the most likely subject for this portrait, as his age (around 12–15) and the dating of the picture in stylistic terms broadly overlap. The “angular” fall of the folds, the small note on the wall to the right that creates a sense of space, above all the charming play of reflections in the helmet as well as the tense, melancholic facial expression, suggest Giorgione as creator of this work.
Attributed to:
Giorgio da Castelfranco, gen. Giorgione (um 1477 Castelfranco - 1510 Venedig) DNB
Depiction/Person:
Francesco Maria I. della Rovere (1490 - 1538) DNB
Time:
around 1510 (?)
Object Name
Painting
Culture
Italian, Venetian
Material/technology:
Canvas
Dimensions:
73 cm × 64 cm
Framed: 95 cm × 86,7 cm × 9 cm
Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie
Invs.
Gemäldegalerie, 10
Provenance
1623/1624 Coll. of the Duke of Urbino in Pesaro, Palazzo Ducale, Guardaroba, No. 434 (Sangiorgi 1976, 356); after 1636 Coll. Bartolomeo della Nave, Venice; 1638-1649 Coll. Hamilton; 1659 Coll. Leopold Wilhelm; by inheritance Coll. Leopold I.