Giuliano de' Medici
c. 1478–1480 · Tempera on panel · National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
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This print
About this work
- Artist
- Sandro Botticelli (c. 1445–1510)
- Year
- c. 1478–1480
- Medium
- Tempera on panel
- Original size
- 75.5 × 52.5 cm
- Collection
- National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
- Movement
- Renaissance
Giuliano de' Medici, younger brother of Lorenzo the Magnificent and co-ruler of Florence, is shown in profile with heavy-lidded, lowered eyes, in a crimson tunic, framed by a half-open door; at the lower left a turtledove perches on a dead branch. Giuliano was celebrated as a jousting champion, and in 1475 won the tournament in Piazza Santa Croce that Poliziano commemorated in verse. On 26 April 1478 he was stabbed to death in Florence Cathedral in the Pazzi conspiracy. Botticelli's workshop produced several versions of this portrait, and the downcast eyes, the open door and the dove, traditionally an emblem of a mate's loss, have led many scholars to read this one, dated about 1478–1480, as a memorial painted after his murder. An emblem on the reverse suggests it later belonged to Grand Duke Ferdinand I de' Medici. It passed through collections in Florence, Modena and Venice before the Samuel H. Kress Foundation gave it to the National Gallery of Art in Washington in 1952.
This full-bleed edition prints the work edge to edge from a high-resolution scan of the original, very slightly cropped (a few percent at most) to fit the sheet. The gallery edition shows the whole work, uncropped. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
A young man in profile in deep crimson against a grey stone frame and a half-open door, sombre and still, for a study, library or hallway at 24×36 in black. A charcoal, dark green or warm grey wall; it pairs with Lady with an Ermine.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Renaissance painting
- Era
- 15th century (c. 1478–1480)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Mood
- intimate
- Rooms
- hallway or entryway, study or library, living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. Printed edge to edge: a slim black or natural wood frame right to the image, or let the canvas wrap do the framing. Also available gallery-wrapped on canvas, ready to hang with no frame.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Giuliano de' Medici in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Giuliano de' Medici painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
