Learned Man of Antiquity
Artist
Giovanni de Lutero (Dosso Dossi)
(Italian, 1486 - 1542)
Dateca. 1540
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions57 × 46 3/4 in. (144.8 × 118.7 cm)
Overall, Frame: 67 × 55 3/4 × 4 in. (170.2 × 141.6 × 10.2 cm)
Overall, Frame: 67 × 55 3/4 × 4 in. (170.2 × 141.6 × 10.2 cm)
ClassificationsEuropean art
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number71.641
Terms
- Man
- Mathematics
- Red
- White
- Black
- Blue
- Roman
- Florentine Mannerism
Collections
On View
Not on viewLabel TextGiovanni de Lutero, called Dosso Dossi Italian, ca. 1490–1542 Learned Man of Antiquity, ca. 1540 Oil on canvas This man’s extended arm may seem awkward, but when installed high on the wall it would have looked well proportioned, an effect called foreshortening. Dosso Dossi painted the figure for a private library as part of a series that likely represented the liberal arts—like grammar, logic, music, and astronomy—in human form. The mysterious numerical symbols on the tablet held by this man suggest he represents arithmetic. Installed in a library, it would have conveyed the ideal of learning as a noble pursuit. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.641
