Portrait of a Young Man, c. 1530
oil on canvas
Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice
Portrait of a Young Man, c. 1530
oil on canvas
Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice
The sitter's identity is unknown, but the rose petals scattered on the table are clues to his character. In the sixteenth century, rose petals were considered a cure for melancholy, which renders sufferers incapable of action. The man listlessly riffles the pages of a book, with his back turned to the diversions represented by the lute and hunting horn on the wall. Melancholy was also associated with sensitivity and creative introspection and was thus viewed as a sign of artistic temperament.