Annibale Carracci, (1560 Bologna - 1609 Rome)., PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG MAN

The sitter with black hair, lip and chin beard, white shirt collar over a black doublet, his gaze directed vividly towards the viewer, the background completely darkened. Comparative examples of other head portraits, as listed in the accompanying expertise, clearly demonstrate Carracci's authorship. These include, among other examples, the half-length portrait of the composer "Giovanni Gabrieli" with lute in the Staatliche Gemäldegalerie in Dresden, the "Head Portrait of a Boy" in Parma and the "Ritratto di Giovane" in the Galleria Nazionale di Palazzo Barberini in Rome. We should also not forget Annibale's self-portrait from 1593, which is in the National Gallery in Parma. The influence of Venetian painting, especially that of Tintoretto, which is noticeable in Annibale's work from 1590 onwards, is also evident in this portrait. Together with his cousins Ludovico and Agostino, Annibale founded the Accademia degli Incamminati. Its aim was to adopt Mannerist characteristics in favour of greater naturalness, which ultimately helped to usher in Baroque painting. Annibale is considered the most important of these three painters. Oil on canvas. 36.5 x 26.5 cm.