Bust of a Young Boy

Portrait busts, inspired by ancient Roman examples, were popular in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. Three busts (one in Venice, in Berlin, and in New York) of young boys of noble lineage by Gian Cristoforo Romano are among the few examples of portraits rather than simple generic images of children in Renaissance sculpture.

The bust of a boy about four years old in Venice reflects the artist’s classical style. The delicate surface is perfectly smooth and the hair and the ornaments on the clothes of the child are finely rendered. It is well preserved, although the end of the nose is chipped and the pendant that originally hung across the chest is missing.