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Primary sourcePaintingJanuary 1770

Portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the age of 13 in Verona

Giambettino Cignaroli (attributed) · January 1770

A 1770 painting showing the teenage Mozart seated at a harpsichord during his first Italian journey.

This portrait depicts Mozart himself at age 13 during his first Italian journey.

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Painting of a young boy with powdered white hair in a red coat with gold embroidery and blue lapels, seated at a harpsichord with open sheet music on the stand, looking toward the viewer against a dark background.
Attributed to Giambettino Cignaroli, Portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the age of 13 in Verona, 1770.

About this source

What it is

This oil painting, attributed to Giambettino Cignaroli of the Verona school, shows Mozart at age 13, seated at a harpsichord with sheet music, painted in January 1770 while he was travelling in Italy.

Why it matters

The portrait captures Mozart as a child prodigy already being celebrated across Europe for his musical gifts. Such paintings reveal how early audiences and patrons viewed the young composer as a wonder to be documented and displayed.

Look closer

  • What does Mozart's clothing and pose suggest about how he was presented to the public?
  • Why might a painter have been commissioned to record a 13-year-old's visit?
  • What can't a painted portrait tell us that a letter or diary might?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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