Portrait of a Knight of Malta c.1545-55
Oil on canvas | 107.0 x 81.1 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 402844
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The sitter in this portrait can be identified as a Knight of Malta by his black robe and coat, each of which bears a conspicuous white Maltese cross. Shown at three-quarter-length, standing, and facing three-quarters to the left with his head turned slightly to the front, he also wears a black hat and brown gloves.
The portrait is traditionally attributed to Tintoretto, but areas of weakness, especially around the gloved hands, suggest that the painting is only partly autograph. The original canvas has marked weave distortions at the top, but not at the sides or below, suggesting that at some time the painting was cut in these directions. The portrait can be compared with the Portrait of a Young Man in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, dated 1551, which is of rather longer format, perhaps suggesting the original dimensions of this work.
Provenance
Charles I collection; recorded in the Gallery at St James's Palace in 1639 (no 54); sold for £15 to Edmund Harrison and others on 23 October 1651 from St James's Palace (no 184); recovered at the Restoration and listed in the 2nd Privy Lodging Room at Whitehall in 1666 (no 170) as an oval; presumably it was expanded to a rectangle and acquired its Consul Smith frame during the 18th Century
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Creator(s)
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Medium and techniques
Oil on canvas
Measurements
107.0 x 81.1 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)
117.6 x 94.7 x 6.0 cm (frame, external)