Portrait of a Cardinal, possibly Gabriele de' Gabrielli (1445–1511)

Attributed to Lorenzo Costa · c. 1505–11

The unknown sitter in this portrait, wearing the crimson cassock and cap of a cardinal, is depicted as a humanist scholar. Through the open window can be seen the figure of Saint Jerome, the 4th-century biblical scholar, often portrayed in medieval art as a kneeling hermit. He is identified by a broad-brimmed cardinal's hat and the lion that was his legendary companion. During the Renaissance, however, Saint Jerome was frequently shown as a cultured man of learning in his study—a representation this sitter clearly wished his portrait to suggest.