(Urbino circa 1526–1612)
workshop of
Portrait of a bearded man,
oil on copper, 10 x 8 cm, framed

Inscription in the upper left corner in white, presumably in the same hand as the miniature itself: AETATIS SUAE 40 or possibly 46/1578. Verso, in italics in 18th-century handwriting: “Earl of/Dunbar”.

We are grateful to Nicholas Turner for pointing us in the direction of this attribution and for his help in cataloguing the work.

The sitter is similar in terms of physiognomy, with his finely worked beard and white ruff to the picture of Francesco Maria II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino (1549–1631) in Barocci’s portrait of 1572 (Florence, Uffizi). If it is, indeed, Francesco Maria II della Rovere, then the inscription is incorrect. In 1578 the Duke was just 29 years old, nott 40 – which corresponds better with the sitter. In line with this, the inscription must have been added at a later date. If the handwriting is coeval with the painting then this is an unknown 40-year old, who had himself depicted in the style and pose of a Florentine portrait. Barocci was an excellent portrait painter and draughtsman, but we know of no miniatures on copper in his hand. The careful execution of the miniature and the stylistic affinity with works by Barocci would suggest an attribution to a colleague or follower of the artist, according to Turner.
Ted Pillsbury is of the opinion that the painting originated in Barocci’s workshop even if it is not by the artist himself.