Portrait of a Young Man

In his later portraits Botticelli frequently dispensed with landscapes or interiors in the background, instead concentrating solely on the person being portrayed. One of his most beautiful portraits is that of the unknown young man wearing a red cap, the only known en face portrait by the artist. It is captivating due to the vivid and alert presence of the model, whose youthful informality the artist has succeeded in capturing masterfully.

Until the mid-19th century this portrait was attributed to Giorgione, Filippino Lippi or Masaaccio. The identity of the sitter is unknown.