
Self-portrait
96.5 x 81 cm; oil on canvas (FC 673)
In overall good condition, the painting probably has a funereal theme, suggested by the finger pointing to the ring. The ivy and the putto placed on the scales seem to confirm this interpretation: Sacred Love, or a search for balance between intellect and passion. This could be a self-portrait executed in 1530/1535 and was definitely considered as such in 1603, when it was already part of the Aldobrandini collection. Various questions remain: the age indicated (37) doesn’t seem to correspond to the artist’s style at this age; furthermore the lyricism and iconography allude to a lost love, but we have no evidence of such a person in Lotto’s life. Although the subject of the painting may remain in doubt, the authorship is proclaimed by the signature at the bottom of the canvas.