Portrait of a gentleman, bust-length

Dressed in the formal costume of a Venetian patrician, the sitter is presented bust-length, in three-quarter view, a type which had become popular amongst North Italian painters who had been inspired by Flemish models established by Jan van Eyck and Hans Memling. The man's zazzera hairstyle was fashionable in Venice from the 1480s until circa 1500, dating the painting to the last two decades of the fifteenth century. The influence of Alvise Vivarini is clear in the sharp, linear drawing of the features, careful definition of the eyes and lips and the sitter’s cool flesh tones. The crystalline clarity of his features are here enhanced by the black background.