Portrait of a Young Man
Anonymous Artist Diego Velázquez (follower)
Shown from the chest up, a pale-skinned young man with dark hair and a brown mustache and goatee looks at us from the corners of his dark eyes in this vertical portrait painting. His body and face are angled to our left, and his left eyebrow, closer to us, is slightly cocked while other is low over his other eye. He has a straight nose, a square jaw, and his pink lips are closed. His short, brown hair lays flat against his head but curls around the ear we can see. He wears a pecan-brown vest over a black, long-sleeved shirt with a white, lace-edged collar at the neck. His garments blend into the peanut-brown background so the light falling from the upper left highlights his features and white collar.
Details
- Palette
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- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- overall: 59.5 x 47.8 cm (23 7/16 x 18 13/16 in.) framed: 87.15 x 75.25 cm (34 5/16 x 29 5/8 in.)
- Department
- CIS-B
- Holding institution
- National Gallery of Art
- Image provider
- national-gallery-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Andrew W. Mellon Collection
Art Genome Taxonomy
6 tags
Subject Matter
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Individual Portrait Both · 99%
The title and museum record identify the work as a portrait, and the image shows a single sitter in a chest-up composition.
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Eye Contact Both · 98%
The museum description states that the young man looks at the viewer, which is also visible in the orientation of his eyes.
Visual Qualities
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Earth Tones Visual · 91%
Muted browns, black, and warm flesh tones dominate the composition, with the white collar providing the principal light accent.
Medium and Techniques
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Chiaroscuro Visual · 92%
Directional light strongly illuminates the face and collar while the hair, clothing, and surrounding ground remain substantially darker, creating a pronounced light-dark structure.
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Oil Painting Metadata · 99%
The museum record identifies the medium as oil on canvas.
Time Periods
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17th Century Art Metadata · 99%
The catalog dates the work to approximately 1650, placing it in the seventeenth century.
Source & rights
Follower of Diego Velázquez. Portrait of a Young Man. Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington.