Leandro Bassano, 'Portrait of a Bearded Man', about 1600
About the work
Overview
The identity of the man in this bust-length portrait is unknown but it appears to be a true likeness with little attempt at flattery. The top of the man’s head is visible through his thinning hair, and the texture of his skin and beard have been meticulously painted. Although he frowns, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes make him appear kindly and careworn. Leandro Bassano often employed this simple bust-length format and frowning expression in his portraits.
The paint surface is very damaged, especially on the face and collar. A partially legible Latin inscription at bottom left suggests that the sitter may have been a successful poet or musician and that he wrote or performed for princes. The style of his dress, particularly the large, loose collar, indicates that the portrait was painted in the last years of the sixteenth century, when Leandro Bassano was most in demand as a portraitist in Venice.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Portrait of a Bearded Man
- Artist
- Leandro Bassano
- Artist dates
- 1557 - 1622
- Date made
- about 1600
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 66.3 × 55 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bought, 1855
- Inventory number
- NG2149
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Nicholas Penny, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Paintings’, vol. 2, ‘Venice 1540–1600’, London 2008; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
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1959Gould, Cecil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Venetian School, London 1959
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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
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2008Penny, Nicholas, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Paintings, 2, Venice, 1540-1600, London 2008
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.