Figure 14. Portrait of a Man (The Goldsmith)
(1515) by Ridolfo Ghirlandaio (1483-1561)


Figure 15. Brooch.
Portrait of a Man (The Goldsmith) (detail) (1515)

Ridolfo Ghirlandaio (1483-1561) had painted Portrait of a Man (The Goldsmith) (see Fig. 14) in 1515. Though the conventional interpretation of this painting holds that the sitter is a goldsmith, “the young man’s expression of fixed concentration, and the fact that he holds the jewel so that the viewer can see only its back, suggest that the object may have had a sentimental value, rather than functioning as an allusion to the sitter’s trade” (Padovani, 2005, 110.) What is very interesting, is that, as mentioned earlier, it would have been very rare for a goldsmith to be painted by a great master, unless he were truly celebrated and, maybe, the painting were commissioned by one of his wealthy, grateful customers. However, no one has yet suggested a famous identity for the youth, and so, perhaps, Ghirlandaio had wished, simply, to play around with light and shadow as it would exhibit the brooch and the sitter’s bittersweet expression.

If so, the former has been achieved wonderfully, as the brooch (see Fig. 15) stands out on the painting, the gems at the bottom shining, and the details of a dove on the top are emphasized. Possibly, if one knows more about the fashion or symbolism behind brooches of the time, it would give him a hint about the sitter’s expression. As it turns out, by the end of the 14th century, the old style of brooch, with a cluster of gems around one central, larger gem, had faded from use, to be replaced by brooches that were more like plaques rimmed in gemstones, depicting things like deer, doves, and (in one very ambitious example) a woman playing the harp (Evans, 1990, 62). Also, around 1460, heart-shaped brooches, as well as pendants, became very popular, often featuring heart-shaped diamonds and clasped hands. However, this brooch does not seem to be heart shaped, although it, possibly, is in the front, where one cannot see it. One can take the symbol of the dove at the top to mean almost any romantic representation, so, perhaps, the painting is left, as the best art, to individual interpretation.