Italy / 1533–34
Portrait of a Man, Possibly Girolamo Rosati
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Portrait of a Man, Possibly Girolamo Rosati as painting (Italy · 1533–34).
This fashionable man broadcasts his wealth by wearing a fur-lined velvet and satin outfit with expensive gold jewelry.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on canvas and credits Lorenzo Lotto (Italian, 1480–1556).
The museum's collection notes: The gesture of the elegantly dressed man is a mystery. Is he rising from his chair to address someone or is he pointing to something outside the frame? His right hand rests on a piece of paper (a letter?), while on the table are clover—a symbol of abundance, good fortune, and happy marriage—and jasmine, associated with purity and love, further emphasized by the roses on the trellis. There may have been a companion portrait of the sitter’s bride, to whom he acknowledges his devotion. Another recent interpretation identifies the sitter as Girolamo Rosati, a high official in Fermo, on Italy’s east coast. The paper may be a design for one of his
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtPortrait of a Man, Possibly Girolamo RosatiOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.