Minneapolis Institute of Art

Portrait of a Cardinal, possibly Gabriele de' Gabrielli (1445–1511)

Attributed to Lorenzo Costa

Date

c. 1505–11

Medium

Oil and tempera on poplar panel

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The unknown sitter in this portrait, wearing the crimson cassock and cap of a cardinal, is depicted as a humanist scholar. Through the open window can be seen the figure of Saint Jerome, the 4th-century biblical scholar, often portrayed in medieval art as a kneeling hermit. He is identified by a broad-brimmed cardinal's hat and the lion that was his legendary companion. During the Renaissance, however, Saint Jerome was frequently shown as a cultured man of learning in his study—a representation this sitter clearly wished his portrait to suggest. Italy, Europe

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