# Portrait of a Young Man

**Dosso Dossi** (Italian, c. 1490–after 1541)  
c. 1530  
oil and gold on wood  
Framed: 128.2 x 102.2 x 11.5 cm (50 1/2 x 40 1/4 x 4 1/2 in.); Unframed: 97.2 x 77.5 cm (38 1/4 x 30 1/2 in.)

Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1916.803. [The museum's record](https://clevelandart.org/art/1916.803).

## About this work

Like other paintings from the Dossi workshop, this work conveys the sitter's social status and self-confidence. He holds a crumpled letter written in Italian. The words Asto , meaning "ship mast," and mare , meaning "sea," suggest that trade was a topic of this letter. References to anatomy and the word bella imply a discussion of the magnificence of human anatomy, an interest that spread rapidly during the Renaissance. The letter likewise communicates the young man's considerable education. This work was formerly called Portrait of Giuliano de Medici ; however, the sitter's lack of resemblance to Giuliano caused art historians to discount this argument. Portrait of a Young Man was earlier attributed to Dosso's brother, Battista, before recently being considered a work by Dosso or a member of his workshop. As first suggested by Roberto Longhi, Portrait of a Young Man is now considered likely to be a work of an unidentified follower of Dossi from Friuli, Italy. The Friulian follower worked from 1510 until after 1530 and had connections to Dossi's hometown of Ferrara, accounting for this work's resemblance to Dossi's style. The dark outlines and large forms of the work are of a later style than Dossi's, suggesting that the artist was a follower rather than Dossi himself.

_Text from the Cleveland Museum of Art._

Dosso Dossi painted this in about 1530, aged about 35. It is now at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

### How it was made

- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [Dosso Dossi](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/dosso-dossi)

Italian, c. 1490–after 1541

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- Culture: Italy
- The artist was about 35
- Real size: about 38 × 31 in (97 × 78 cm). The original is larger than our largest print, 20 × 30 in, so every print is a reduction.
- Century: 16th century
- Movement: [Renaissance](https://www.ochreeditions.com/movements/renaissance)
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/482.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/482/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/portrait-of-a-young-man-cma-97167).