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French, 'Profile Portrait of a Young Man', possibly about 1580

About the work

A young man with fair hair and blue eyes is shown from the side, with nothing to indicate his identity or social status. The picture is painted on a paper support, which may originally have been laid down on a panel; it is now mounted on canvas.

Profile portraits like this had largely gone out of favour in France during the sixteenth century, but the form was not totally unfashionable. It is perhaps possible that this, painted on paper, may be a study for, or even a fragment of, a cartoon (a full-size preparation) for a tapestry. In one of the Valois Tapestries (Florence, Uffizi), a child standing in front of Catherine de' Medici – probably her grandson, Charles of Valois – is shown in profile. His head is not unlike this painting.

Key facts

Full title
Profile Portrait of a Young Man
Artist
French
Date made
possibly about 1580
Medium and support
oil on paper, mounted on canvas
Dimensions
38.5 × 28.5 cm
Acquisition credit
Presented by G.F. Watts, 1885
Inventory number
NG1190
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection
Previous owners

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.

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