Attributed to
Giovanni Antonio Pordenone
, Italian, 1483-1539
Title
Portrait of a GentlemanDatec.1515
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
83 x 71 cm
Credit LinePurchased, 1925
Object numberNGI.866
DescriptionPordenone was one of the most innovative artists in northern Italy during the first half of the 16th century. His style was Venetian in a broad sense but open to other Mannerist influences coming from the nearby areas of Emilia and Lombardy.When this picture entered the Gallery collection it was believed to be by Lorenzo Lotto. Since then, however, research has established that the picture was originally attributed to Pordenone and was sold through the agency of the Venetian connoisseur Giovanni Maria Sasso, to the collector Sir Abraham Hume, at the end of the 18th century.
In the portrait, the young bearded man stands in a relaxed pose resting on a parapet. In one hand, he holds a pair of gloves, while with the other he clasps a small orange flower, a symbol of eternal love and devotion, which suggests that it may have been painted for a bride or a wife.
(National Gallery of Ireland: Essential Guide, 2008)
ProvenancePurchased, Agnew, London, 1925Exhibition HistoryCentenary Exhibition, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, October - December 1964