Tommaso di Folco Portinari (1428–1501)
ca. 1470
Meet Tommaso Portinari, a wealthy Italian banker managing the Medici Bank in Bruges, who clearly wanted a portrait that screamed 'serious power.' Painted by Hans Memling around 1470, Tommaso is decked out in somber black velvet with hands clasped in prayer—sporting a ring—though his intense, side-eye stare suggests he might be calculating interest rates instead. This panel was likely the left half of a diptych, originally paired with a portrait of his wife Maria, showcasing the hyper-realistic Northern Renaissance style where the pitch-black background forces you to focus entirely on his pale face and distinctive bowl-cut hairstyle.
- Technique
- Oil on panel
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
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