Portrait of a Man

Franciabigio’s most compelling works are private portraits for which he had a particular talent. An example is this portrait, signed and dated 1522, which magnifies the qualities for which the mature Franciabigio was valued throughout his final years. It belongs to a particular genre of portrait featuring individuals who pause while working on their account books as if disturbed by the viewer’s sudden presence. The figure here stands at a desk in front of his ledger with a certain feigned casualness before a deep landscape and stormy sky.