Portrait of a Boy with Helmet

The helmet with oak leaves which the young man looking to the right holds in his hands indicates he is a member of the della Rovere family, the dukes of Urbino. Francesco Maria (1490–1538) would be the most likely subject for this portrait, as his age (around 12–15) and the dating of the picture in stylistic terms broadly overlap. The “angular” fall of the folds, the small note on the wall to the right that creates a sense of space, above all the charming play of reflections in the helmet as well as the tense, melancholic facial expression, suggest Giorgione as creator of this work.