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Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione
Raphael · Renaissance & Mannerism
- Artist
- Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio) (1483–1520)
- Date
- c. 1514–1515
- Dimensions
- 82 x 67 cm
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Location
- Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
This portrait shows Raphael's friend Baldassare Castiglione, diplomat and author of The Book of the Courtier, the famous guide to refined behaviour at Renaissance courts. He looks at us calmly, his hands folded, dressed in black and grey.
A closer look
Raphael painted Castiglione as the embodiment of the ideals of his own book: grace, modesty and effortless elegance, what the author called 'sprezzatura'. The palette is restrained, almost monochrome, with a black beret over a turban, a grey squirrel-fur doublet and a crisp white shirt, all set against a warm, neutral background. The soft light and the gentle blue eyes create an impression of intelligence and kindness. The pose, half-length with hands crossed, recalls the Mona Lisa, which Raphael had studied.
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