| Artist | |
|---|---|
| Culture | Italian |
| Date | ca. 1503–1505 |
| Object type | painting |
| Medium, technique | oil on walnut, reinforced on pine |
| Dimensions | 54 × 39 cm |
| Inventory number | 72 |
| Collection | Old Master Paintings |
| On view | Museum of Fine Arts, First Floor, European Art 1250-1600, Gallery XIX |
This early portrait by Raphael, presumably made during his years as a pupil under Pietro Perugino, still bears the influence of his master. Perugino’s manner of painting is echoed in the bust-length format, the balustrade, which simultaneously connects and separates the viewer and the pictorial space, the motif of the hands resting on the architectural element, the structure of the landscape in the background, and the proportions of the composition. The young painter’s feel for harmony is already apparent in the refinement of his drawing, in the well-balanced colouration, and in his handling of the face. Recent research has identified the sitter of this portrait as the young Ippolito d’Este, nephew of Beatrice of Aragon, queen consort to King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary. Between 1487 and 1497, d’Este was archbishop of Esztergom, and he was later appointed bishop of Ferrara.
Pigler, Andor, Katalog der Galerie Alter Meister, 1-2. Museum der Bildenden Künste, Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest. 2, Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1967, p. 568-569.
This record is subject to revision due to ongoing research.
