Portrait of a Knight (Carpaccio)
Encyclopedia
Portrait of a Knight is a painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Vittore Carpaccio
. It is housed in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection of Madrid
; it was put up for sale by heirs of the American collector Otto Kahn after his death and sold to Heinrich Thyssen in 1935.
Dated 1510, this is the earliest full-length portrait in Western painting - on the assumption that it is a portrait, as seems likely. It is characteristic of Carpaccio that apart from this important innovation, the style of the painting seems in other respects to look back to the previous century. The subject is now considered most likely to be Francesco Maria I della Rovere
, the Duke of Urbino, and nephew of Pope Julius II
, during whose reign it was painted. Until the 20th century the painting had been given the monogram of Albrecht Dürer
, and Carpaccio's signature overpainted. The realism and detail of Carpaccio does in fact show Northern influence.
The painting shows a young knight, surrounded by a rather crowded series of symbols. The heron
caught in the sky by a hawk
might hint at this knight's death in battle, also alluded to by his posture, which recalls that of a funerary statue; an alternative theory is that this is a memorial portrait of a person already dead. The other knight with a lance might then be the same person during his life. In the left lower corner is a white ermine
and a scroll stating "I prefer to die rather than to incur dishonour" (malo mori quam foedari). The symbolism of these and the other animals and plants have been much discussed by art historians.
Vittore Carpaccio
Vittore Carpaccio was an Italian painter of the Venetian school, who studied under Gentile Bellini. He is best known for a cycle of nine paintings, The Legend of Saint Ursula. His style was somewhat conservative, showing little influence from the Humanist trends that transformed Italian...
. It is housed in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection of Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
; it was put up for sale by heirs of the American collector Otto Kahn after his death and sold to Heinrich Thyssen in 1935.
Dated 1510, this is the earliest full-length portrait in Western painting - on the assumption that it is a portrait, as seems likely. It is characteristic of Carpaccio that apart from this important innovation, the style of the painting seems in other respects to look back to the previous century. The subject is now considered most likely to be Francesco Maria I della Rovere
Francesco Maria I della Rovere
Francesco Maria I della Rovere was an Italian condottiero, who was Duke of Urbino from 1508 until 1538.- Biography :...
, the Duke of Urbino, and nephew of Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II , nicknamed "The Fearsome Pope" and "The Warrior Pope" , born Giuliano della Rovere, was Pope from 1503 to 1513...
, during whose reign it was painted. Until the 20th century the painting had been given the monogram of Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer was a German painter, printmaker, engraver, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance ever since...
, and Carpaccio's signature overpainted. The realism and detail of Carpaccio does in fact show Northern influence.
The painting shows a young knight, surrounded by a rather crowded series of symbols. The heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
caught in the sky by a hawk
Hawk
The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
might hint at this knight's death in battle, also alluded to by his posture, which recalls that of a funerary statue; an alternative theory is that this is a memorial portrait of a person already dead. The other knight with a lance might then be the same person during his life. In the left lower corner is a white ermine
Ermine
Ermine has several uses:* A common name for the stoat * The white fur and black tail end of this animal, which is historically worn by and associated with royalty and high officials...
and a scroll stating "I prefer to die rather than to incur dishonour" (malo mori quam foedari). The symbolism of these and the other animals and plants have been much discussed by art historians.