Portrait of Lorenzo di Credi – National Gallery of Art – Washington
The work dates back to 1488 and portrays Lorenzo di Credi, a pupil of Verrocchio like Perugino himself; the painter is depicted in the foreground, half-lenght, slightly facing left: we see in fact only three quarters of his face, the head slightly tilted upwards. He wears a black tunic that falls soft on his shoulders, and the collar of a white shirt is slightly visible; on the top of his head, a dark cap partially covers his long brown hair, styled according to the fashion of the time.
The sharp face ends in a protruding chin; the features are firm, with a semi aquiline nose and two thick dark eyebrows, while the mouth rosy and fleshy from the corners turned downwards gives him a serious and melancholy expression. The brown eyes are turned towards the spectator: it is a penetrating gaze, sad and distant at the same time.
Behind Lorenzo, a hilly landscape presents a small rocky wall on which trees grow from lush foliage; in the background the contours of the mountains fade into mist.
The work is preserved at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, which bought it in 1942.
