Template:POTD/2017-12-29
Appearance
An Old Man and his Grandson is a tempera painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Domenico Ghirlandaio completed c. 1490. It portrays an older man in a red robe, embracing a young child whose hand is on his chest. The deformity of the man's nose, evidence of rhinophyma, is at variance with the physiognomic theory of the era, as it is seen not as implying a defect of character but as inviting an appreciation of the man's virtuousness. Critics have noted an emotional undercurrent in the work; according to art historian Bernard Berenson, "There is no more human picture in the entire range of Quattrocento painting, whether in or out of Italy."Painting: Domenico Ghirlandaio