Artwork
Portrait of a young Man
Portrait of a young Man is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Alessandro Allori. It dates from 1561 and is held in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
These elements, antique sculpture, medals, and inscriptions, signal the sitter’s cultivated status and humanist aspirations.
The sitter is a young aristocrat whose identity remains debated; suggested names include Paolo Capranica, linked to the della Valle family, or a member of the Palma di Cesnola family, whose motto "Oppraesa Resurgam" is inscribed on a palm frond inlaid into the table.
Classical motifs frame the composition: the youth holds a medal bearing a woman’s profile, while a replica of the antique Apollo Citharoedos statue rests on the table beside an elaborate chair with carved and inlaid decoration. The background presents an imaginary landscape framed by a Mannerist balcony, evoking an idealized classical world. These elements, antique sculpture, medals, and inscriptions, signal the sitter’s cultivated status and humanist aspirations.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil paint on a panel support, the work measures 133 cm in height by 104 cm in width. The artist employs a manner of polished refinement, a stylistic ideal inherited from his training under Bronzino. Formal composition places the sitter against an imaginary landscape featuring a classically draped figure on a mannerist balcony, creating an enigmatic atmosphere.
The handling of the medium renders specific details with precision, including the sitter's arm resting on an ornate, carved, and inlaid chair. Further formal elements include an antique statue replica of Apollo Citharoedos on an elaborate table and a scroll bearing the motto 'Oppraesa Resurgam' set within a palm tree inlay. The figure is depicted wearing black clothing while holding a medal showing a profile of a woman in classical costume.
History & Provenance
Portrait of a young Man was painted by Alessandro Allori in 1561 as an oil on panel portrait. It entered the Ashmolean Museum collection in Oxford, where it remains on display. The work was acquired by the museum in 1982, purchased with assistance from the Victoria and Albert Museum Purchase Grant Fund and the Art Fund.
Earlier ownership is indicated by a medal held by the sitter that references the Della Valle family collection in Rome in 1561, suggesting a prior link to that aristocratic lineage. The sitter has been tentatively identified as either Paolo Capranica or a member of the Palma di Cesnola family, based on heraldic motifs observed in the table inlay. The painting measures 133 cm in height and 104 cm in width.
The Portrait of a Young Man by Alessandro Allori is held by the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, where it forms part of the institution's painting collection. Its accession number is WA1982.38, and it was acquired in 1982 through purchase assisted by the Victoria and Albert Museum Purchase Grant Fund and the Art Fund.
The work was created in 1561 and is executed in oil on panel, measuring 133 cm in height by 104 cm in width. Beyond its acquisition by the Ashmolean, the sources do not document a prior exhibition history for the painting.
Context
Painted in 1561, Alessandro Allori's Portrait of a Young Man exemplifies the Mannerist ideal of polished refinement inherited from his teacher, Bronzino. The work is distinguished by its complex iconography, which has fueled scholarly debate regarding the sitter's identity. Proposals include Paolo Capranica, a relative of the Della Valle family, or a member of the Palma di Cesnola family, suggested by the motto 'Oppraesa Resurgam' visible in the table inlay.
The composition further anchors the portrait in its historical moment by referencing the antique statue of Apollo Citharoedos, which was located in the della Valle collection in Rome at the time of the painting's creation. This integration of classical antiquity and enigmatic landscape elements creates a sophisticated visual narrative typical of the period's aristocratic portraiture.
Overview
Alessandro Allori, a late‑Mannerist painter active in Florence, completed the oil painting Portrait of a Young Man in 1561. The work is part of the Ashmolean Museum’s collection and presents a solitary figure rendered with precise detail and controlled lighting.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Alessandro di Cristofano di Lorenzo del Bronzino Allori (Florence, 31 May 1535 – 22 September 1607) was an Italian painter of the late Mannerist Florentine school.
