MANTEGNA, Andrea
(b. 1431, Isola di Carturo, d. 1506, Mantova)

Francesco II Gonzaga

1490s
Black chalk, highlighting with brush, and white gouach on greenish paper, 347 x 328 mm
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

This sheet has been reduced to the extent of having virtually no space around the figure. Nevertheless, the powerfully sculptural form projects from the sheet with expressive animation. The commanding frontal presentation of the sitter lends the portrait a dramatic expressiveness unsurpassed in drawn portraiture.




© Web Gallery of Art, created by Emil Krén and Daniel Marx.