Portrait of a Gentleman Seated before a Landscape

Gallery 352, European Art 1500-1850, third floor (ARCO Gallery)

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Portrait of a Gentleman Seated before a Landscape

Early 17th century

Leandro Bassano (Leandro da Ponte) (Italian (active Venice and Bassano), 1557–1622)

The unidentified gentleman--likely a scholar as he is shown reading a book--seems attracted more to the dreamy scene of figures frolicking in lush vegetation than to the world of Christian morality represented by the crucifix on his desk. Pastoral poetry, which extolled the glories of a life spent close to nature, was quite popular in sixteenth-century Venice and probably inspired the idyllic landscape in this painting.

Gallery 352, European Art 1500-1850, third floor (ARCO Gallery)

Object Details

Title:

Portrait of a Gentleman Seated before a Landscape

Date:

Early 17th century

Artist:

Leandro Bassano (Leandro da Ponte) (Italian (active Venice and Bassano), 1557–1622)

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

39 7/8 x 53 3/8 inches (101.3 x 135.6 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

John G. Johnson Collection, 1917

Accession Number:

Cat. 212

Geography:

Made in Italy, Europe

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Gallery 352, European Art 1500-1850, third floor (ARCO Gallery)

Main Building

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