Francesco Maria Sforza (1491–1512), 'Il Duchetto'

Image credit: Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives

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Notes

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The finely dressed small boy is Francesco Maria Sforza, son of Gian Galeazzo and Isabella d'Aragona. He was nicknamed 'il duchetto' (the little duke) because in 1494 when he was about three years old he became titular Duke of Milan. The adult gravitas with which the child is portrayed reflects the importance of his status. Children often kept goldfinches as pets but the bird he holds also symbolised the Passion and was a talisman against evil. The artist was originally thought to be Giovanni Ambrogio de Predis, but this was later questioned and the attribution became Milanese School. In 2011, it was reattributed to Giovanni Marco D'Oggiono who worked in Milan and was influenced by Leonardo da Vinci.

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

Bristol

Title

Francesco Maria Sforza (1491–1512), 'Il Duchetto'

Date

c.1493

Medium

oil on canvas transferred from panel

Measurements

H 36.8 x W 26.6 cm

Accession number

K1653

Acquisition method

bequeathed by F. P. M. Schiller, 1946

Work type

Painting

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