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Possibly by Bernardino Campi, 'Portrait of a Musician', 1560s

About the work

Overview

This unidentified man is standing beside a virginal, which was a very popular household keyboard instrument in sixteenth-century Italy. He is shown half-length holding a pair of steel dividers – used to take measurements – which echo the splayed pose of his fingers against his black costume.

The picture is possibly by Bernardino Campi, who was one of the leading painters in Cremona and portrayed the city’s prominent citizens. It may be that the dividers refer to the musical scale and that the man was a designer of musical instruments, as Cremona was famous for the making of musical instruments. The portrait resembles a dated and inscribed portrait by Campi of Don Prospero Quintavalle (private collection, Italy) of 1556. The costume and style of beard suggest a date in the early 1560s.

Key facts

Details

Full title
Portrait of a Musician
Artist
Possibly by Bernardino Campi
Artist dates
1522 - 1591
Date made
1560s
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
67 × 55.5 cm
Acquisition credit
Salting Bequest, 1910
Inventory number
NG2511
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection
Previous owners

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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