1530 (ca.), Lorenzo Lotto, Portrait of a Young Man -- Gallerie dell'Accademia (Venice)
From the museum label: In Lotto's portraits, details provide valuable clues to a better understanding of the subjects' personality and their stories. The accounts ledger on the table refers to the duties of everyday life, as opposed to the lute and hunting horn in the background, which allude to the pleasures of life. The letters, shawl, rose petals, and lizard - a cold-blooded animal oblivious to passions - evoke an unhappy or perhaps thwarted love, which is probably the reason for the young man's dejected gaze.
1530 (ca.), Lorenzo Lotto, Portrait of a Young Man -- Gallerie dell'Accademia (Venice)
From the museum label: In Lotto's portraits, details provide valuable clues to a better understanding of the subjects' personality and their stories. The accounts ledger on the table refers to the duties of everyday life, as opposed to the lute and hunting horn in the background, which allude to the pleasures of life. The letters, shawl, rose petals, and lizard - a cold-blooded animal oblivious to passions - evoke an unhappy or perhaps thwarted love, which is probably the reason for the young man's dejected gaze.