Portrait of a Left-Handed Gentleman with Two Quartos and a Letter ('Il Gentile Cavaliere')

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

How you can use this image

This image can be used for non-commercial research or private study purposes, and other UK exceptions to copyright permitted to users based in the United Kingdom under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised. Any other type of use will need to be cleared with the rights holder(s).

Review the copyright credit lines that are located underneath the image, as these indicate who manages the copyright (©) within the artwork, and the photographic rights within the image.

The collection that owns the artwork may have more information on their own website about permitted uses and image licensing options.

Review our guidance pages which explain how you can reuse images, how to credit an image and how to find images in the public domain or with a Creative Commons licence available.

Buy a print or image licence

You can purchase this reproduction

If you have any products in your basket we recommend that you complete your purchase from Art UK before you leave our site to avoid losing your purchases.

Notes

Add or edit a note on this artwork that only you can see. You can find notes again by going to the ‘Notes’ section of your account.

The traditional Italian title of this portrait, ‘Il Gentile Cavaliere’, means ‘the well-born gentleman’. The prominent sword, a symbol of gentility, and the books suggest that he is a man of action as well as learning. He holds a letter addressed ‘al...Sig’ (To Lord), but the name is now illegible. Below that is written ‘Berg’, for Bergamo. His black costume decorated with gold braid and the style of his hat are similar to those worn at the French court. An unusually large number of old versions of this portrait survive, which may suggest that the sitter was someone important. Since the sword is worn on the man’s right side, he must be left-handed. It is very rare to find an explicit reference to left-handedness in a portrait of this date, as it generally had negative associations.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Portrait of a Left-Handed Gentleman with Two Quartos and a Letter ('Il Gentile Cavaliere')

Date

about 1564-5

Medium

Oil on canvas

Measurements

H 100.4 x W 81.2 cm

Accession number

NG2094

Acquisition method

Bequeathed by the Misses Cohen as part of the John Samuel collection, 1906

Work type

Painting

Tags

See a tag that’s incorrect or offensive? Challenge it and notify Art UK.

Help improve Art UK. Tag artworks and verify existing tags by joining the Tagger community.

Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.
View venue