Lot 2506 D α

This unknown man in a white ruff is turned to the left and directs his gaze toward the viewer.
An infrared examination has revealed another, heavily edited portrait below this one. The reasons for the changes remain unknown, but it is certain that the painter of this portrait was familiar with the revolutionary new approaches in Italian art around 1600. They came primarily from the brothers Annibale and Agostino Carracci and their cousin Ludovico, who had founded an informal academy in Bologna - the Accademia degli Incamminati (Academy of Progressives). In contrast to the Mannerism that had prevailed until then, they oriented themselves towards the visible world. The Carracci family's naturalism is very clearly expressed in this rather inconspicuous-looking portrait.