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The painter’s family name is taken from his hometown, Bassano del Grappa, northwest of Venice. Bassano is best known for his freely painted religious subjects, as seen nearby, but his rare portraits are striking. The sitter’s identity is not known, but the black of the outfit and the shape of his hat certainly refer to an ecclesiastical calling. While Bassano lavished some detail on his bluish-black costume—notice the vertical row of buttons—he clearly focused on the subject’s illuminated head. Impressive passages include the soft beard, eyes lost in thought, and the extraordinary bulging arteries above his right eye. Painted around 1576, this is one of Bassano’s last portraits.
Portrait of a Man
Jacopo Bassano (Italian (Venetian), 1510–1592)
about 1576
Medium/Technique
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
81.3 x 65.1 cm (32 x 25 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Ernest Wadsworth Longfellow, Alice M. Longfellow, and Mrs. Annie A. Longfellow Thorp
Accession Number21.2285
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsPaintings
The painter’s family name is taken from his hometown, Bassano del Grappa, northwest of Venice. Bassano is best known for his freely painted religious subjects, as seen nearby, but his rare portraits are striking. The sitter’s identity is not known, but the black of the outfit and the shape of his hat certainly refer to an ecclesiastical calling. While Bassano lavished some detail on his bluish-black costume—notice the vertical row of buttons—he clearly focused on the subject’s illuminated head. Impressive passages include the soft beard, eyes lost in thought, and the extraordinary bulging arteries above his right eye. Painted around 1576, this is one of Bassano’s last portraits.
ProvenanceBy 1917, Longfellow family, Longfellow House, Cambridge, MA; 1921, gift of Ernest Wadsworth Longfellow, Alice M. Longfellow, and Mrs. Annie A. Longfellow Thorp to the MFA. (Accession date: October 27, 1921)