Portrait of Bindo Altoviti,
Raphael, ca 1512.
Oil on wood
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1943

The blond, fair-skinned, youth looking out at us from over his shoulder in this painting is Bindo Altoviti at about the time of his marriage. The striking pose derives from figures painted by Leonardo da Vinci, usually in a religious narrative to suggest grace. Bindo's long, curled hair, small mouth with full, pursed lips, and smooth complexion relate to descriptions of ideal beauty found in Renaissance poetry. Bindo lived principally in Rome, and this portrait may have served as a reminder of him for his wife back in Florence.

The painting was once thought to be a self-portrait of Raphael. Artists often try new and different approaches when painting themselves. The unusual, turning pose, and the direct stare of the subject in this painting appeared so unusual to viewers that it was assumed that it had to be a self-portrait.