Anonymous: Portrait of a Man in a Chaperon (1440–50)

(Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA)

A painting made by an unknown Dutch artist. This man is wearing a red turban, known as a chaperon. The artist changed the position of the sitter’s hands so that they could hold a flower. The inclusion of the carnation (also known as a pink), is a sign of marital love and fidelity, suggesting that the panel originally was paired with a portrait of a woman. It is possible that it began as a standard portrait, but was changed to a betrothal portrait at the sitter's request. Painting from 1440-1450.