Portrait of Niccolò Machiavelli

What it is

This is a painted portrait attributed to Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio and dated around 1550. It shows a man in a black cap and dark robe, with a pale face and hands holding a small object, set against a dark background. The image has red digital distortion at the upper right and lower center, which comes from the digital copy and not from the painting.

Why it matters

Machiavelli died in 1527, so a portrait dated around 1550 was probably painted after his death, using earlier likenesses or memory. Portraits like this show how Florentine artists and patrons in the sixteenth century wanted to remember the writer of The Prince. Because it was made later, it tells us more about how his image was shaped than about how he looked in life.

Look closer

• What does the small object in the man's hands suggest about him?
• Why might a painting be made after a person has died, and who would have wanted it?
• How can you tell whether a digital image has been altered, and how might that affect what you see?