Portrait of a Man
1490
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1490
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a man in a dark coat and a red hat, his face turned slightly to the side. His clothes look expensive, and he wears a sword at his hip. This was painted when portraits were still rare—mostly for kings and nobles. But this man isn’t royal. He’s probably a merchant or trader who wanted to look important. The artist used thin layers of oil paint to make his skin glow, a trick learned from painters in Flanders. If you like how real he feels, look up *sfumato*.
