Master Paintings and Drawings
Master Paintings and Drawings
Property from a Private Collection
Florentine School, late 16th Century
Portrait of a gentleman in black, holding a medallion
Lot Closed
October 22, 02:56 PM GMT
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Property from a Private Collection
Florentine School, late 16th Century
Portrait of a gentleman in black, holding a medallion
oil on panel
panel: 34½ by 28½ in.; 87.6 by 72.4 cm.
framed: 40¼ by 34½ in.; 102.2 by 87.6 cm.
Thence by descent until sold, New York, Sotheby's Arcade, 24 April 1995, lot 42;
There acquired.
The handsome, fashionable sitter of this portrait wanted to display not only his wealth but also his erudition: the ancient coin or medallion he holds indicates that he is knowledgeable of classical history and art. Associations such as this were popular in portraiture, as sixteenth-century Florentines likened themselves to members of the ancient Roman Republic.