Artwork
Alessandro Alberti with a Page
Alessandro Alberti with a Page is an oil painting. It dates from 1544 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:center left on folded paper: Alessandro Alberti l'anno XXX / della sua eta ... / s [or l] ritrasse nel 15 ... / In Venetia. (Alessandro Alberti the thirtieth year of his age...portrayed in 15...In Venice)
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work is a double portrait depicting a man accompanied by a page, a composition characteristic of sixteenth-century Northern Italian portraiture.
The work is a double portrait depicting a man accompanied by a page, a composition characteristic of sixteenth-century Northern Italian portraiture. The primary subject is identified as a man, while the secondary figure serves as his attendant. Although the painting's attribution has shifted over time from Paolo Veronese to Gian Paolo Pace, the iconography remains focused on the relationship between the two figures.
A specific detail noted in early documentation is the presence of a letter within the scene, which an 1856 observer recorded as bearing an inscription with a name and a date, suggesting the image may commemorate a specific individual or event. The inclusion of the page typically signals the sitter's social status and wealth, framing the work as a statement of aristocratic identity.
History & Provenance
The painting, dated 1544, is recorded in the Marchese Torrigiani collection at Palazzo Torrigiani in Florence by September 1856, when Otto Mündler noted seeing it there and read an inscription naming Paolo Cagliari with the date 1557. It remained with the Torrigiani heirs until 1895/1896, and may subsequently have passed through the Florentine dealer Stefano Bardini. By 1904 the work was owned by Alfred Beit in London and at Tewin Water; it descended to his brother Sir Otto Beit, then to his daughter Alice Angela Beit (Mrs. Arthur Clifford Howie Bull).
It was sold at Christie's, London, on 25 October 1946 as by Veronese, passed through William Sabin and Count Alessandro Contini Bonacossi in Florence, and was acquired in July 1948 by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York, which gifted it to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in 1952, where it is held as part of the Samuel H. Kress Collection.
Overview
This oil on canvas painting, titled Alessandro Alberti with a Page, presents a prominent male figure seated in the company of a young attendant. The artwork focuses on individual representation, using a direct compositional approach to emphasize the principal subject. It offers insight into portraiture practices, capturing a moment that highlights the sitter's presence through his demeanor and attire within a defined visual space.
Technique & Style
The artist utilizes a restrained setting to underscore the importance of the main figure, positioning the richly attired subject against an uncluttered background. This deliberate contrast between the detailed costume and the simple environment draws the viewer's eye to the sitter's features and garments. The interplay of light and shadow further enhances the figure's prominence, contributing to the painting's overall visual depth and impact.
Artist & collection
- Portrait of a Man
Portrait of Federico II Gonzaga
Portrait d'un membre de la famille Foscari
Portrait of Lorenzo Cybo
Portrait of Iseppo da Porto and his son Adriano
Portrait of Alfonso d'Avalos, Marchese del Vasto, in Armor with a Page
Portrait of a Young Man (possibly Melchior von Brauweiler, 1515–1569)
Portrait of a Gentleman
Portrait of a Man
Ranuccio Farnese
Portrait of a Man Holding a Book
Portrait of a Halberdier, Francesco Guardi?
