Alessandro Alberti with a Page

North Italian 16th Century (Possibly Gian Paolo Pace)

National Gallery of Art

This painting depicts two people, an adult man and a young boy. The man is seen from the knees up, standing with one arm on a table and the other on his hip. He has light skin, light green eyes, a brown beard and mustache, and dark hair under a black cap. He is wearing a bright red jacket with several buttons down the front, which is open to reveal a white garment with several pleats and folds. The boy, who has short brown hair and fair skin, leans against the man's leg, tying a bow on the white garment and looking over his shoulder at us. He wears a yellow outfit with subtle white stripes. On the left is a table covered with dark green fabric which the man has his hand on; there are three books on it, and a letter on white paper propped up against the books. The background is a muted green-brown color.