Vincenzo Catena, 'Portrait of a Young Man', probably about 1510
About the work
Overview
An unidentified young man dressed plainly in black stares back at us from the canvas. He stands upright and motionless while behind him clouds race across the sky. The composition has been carefully centred so that a vertical line could be drawn straight down the bridge of his nose and through the fastening of his black velvet jacket. The young man’s impassive stare and expressionless lips record his appearance but reveal little of his personality.
The crisp, formal style of this portrait is similar to those by Giovanni Bellini, who may have taught Catena. It was probably painted in about 1510 – about the same time that Titian, who was also closely aware of Giovanni Bellini’s example, painted his Portrait of Gerolamo (?) Barbarigo in the National Gallery’s collection. Titian turns his sitter sideways into depth and captures Barbarigo’s momentary glance at us, creating a strong sense of psychological intimacy. Catena’s portrait must have looked quite old-fashioned in comparison.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Portrait of a Young Man
- Artist
- Vincenzo Catena
- Artist dates
- active 1506 - 1531
- Date made
- probably about 1510
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 30.5 × 23.5 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bought, 1882
- Inventory number
- NG1121
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Previous owners
- Frame
- 21st-century Replica Frame
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Cecil Gould, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Schools’, London 1987; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Exhibition history
-
2021The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Dürer's Journeys: Travels of a Renaissance ArtistThe National Gallery (London)20 November 2021 - 27 February 2022
Bibliography
-
1959Gould, Cecil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Venetian School, London 1959
-
1987Gould, Cecil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Schools, London 1987
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.