Portrait of a young man by Sandro Botticelli

At about the same time that Botticelli worked on the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel in Rome, he painted several youthful portraits, including this one depicting a young man wearing a red headdress. The models are not identified; probably they were artists working alongside Botticelli or his Roman friends.

Portraits give the impression of being written from life, and a direct, open view speaks of a close acquaintance of the portraits with the artist. Unlike portraits showing the public status or individuality of the customer, these surprise the viewer with a sense of ease of models, not caring how they will look in the picture.

Related Paintings

Portrait of a young woman by Sandro Botticelli Self-portrait by Sandro Botticelli The Calling and Testing of Moses by Sandro Botticelli Scenes from the life of Moses (fresco) by Sandro Botticelli Portrait of a young man by Sandro Botticelli Portrait of Giuliano Medici by Sandro Botticelli Novella Boccaccio “Nastagio degli Onesti” the fourth episode by Sandro Botticelli Transformation by Sandro Botticelli