1519
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Portrait of a Young Man with a Skull is a 1519 by Lucas van Leyden, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This painting shows a young man in fancy clothes holding a skull. He's dressed in plumes, brocade, and slashed sleeves. The skull is a message about the fleeting nature of youth and pleasure. The young man's fine attire contrasts with the skull he's carrying. This contrast is what makes the painting interesting. To learn more about this style, look up the technique of chiaroscuro.
Dressed in exceptionally fine attire––fancy plumes, brocade collar, and slashed sleeves––this young man solemnly points at a skull he is carrying in his cloak. The juxtaposition of the skull and the lavish clothing is a message that frivolous pleasures are misguided and the bravado of youth is ephemeral.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Lucas van Leyden (1494 – 8 August 1533), was a Dutch painter and printmaker in engraving and woodcut. Lucas van Leyden was among the first Dutch exponents of genre painting and was a very accomplished engraver.
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