Anonymous: Portrait of a man in red (1530-1550)

(Hampton Court Palace, Greater London, England)

A painting by an unknown German\ Dutch artist. Silhouetted against an imaginary landscape with the suggestion of buildings and ruins on the left and rock formations on the right stands a young man who is dressed almost entirely in red. When the painting was bought in 1660 by king Charles II of England it was sold as a portrait of a young king Henry VIII of England (the man's pose is reminiscent of portraits of Henry VIII) but the true identity of the man is unknown. Looking at the clothes he is more likely to be English and the portrait was made in England and he is about 15-20 years old. Painting from around 1530-1550.