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Portrait of an Infant Boy Holding an Apple
Individual portraits of children were a late development within European portraiture with few before the 1500s. Portraits of children of noble houses were often commissioned to be sent to distant relatives who might otherwise never see the child, especially as many died before becoming adults. This is one of three known versions (the other two appear to be earlier), suggesting that the boy was from an important family. Sons were critical to maintaining the family line of inheritance and therefore status.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Mrs. Frances Eaton Weld; given to Walters Art Museum, 1947.
Exhibitions
| 2007-2008 | Déjà Vu? The Repeating Image in Renaissance and Baroque Art. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Italy (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 15 3/4 x W: 12 1/2 in. (40 x 31.7 cm); Framed H: 22 × W: 18 in. (55.88 × 45.72 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the estate of Mrs. Frances Eaton Weld, 1947
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.2004