Self-portrait

Pinturicchio depicts himself in this 1501 self-portrait, one of the rare opportunities to see the painter who decorated the Borgia Apartments in the Vatican and the Piccolomini Library in Siena Cathedral. Self-portraits by Renaissance painters are significant documents of artistic identity, recording how these craftsmen-turned-artists wished to present themselves to posterity. Pinturicchio, who earned his nickname ("little painter") from his small stature, here asserts his professional dignity.

The self-portrait shows Pinturicchio rendering his own features with the same careful observation he brought to his commissioned portraits. The face is modeled in warm, naturalistic tones with the Umbrian clarity of light that characterizes his school. The direct gaze creates a connection between painter and viewer that distinguishes the self-portrait from the more formal likenesses of his commissioned work. The handling is precise and controlled, demonstrating the technical skill that won Pinturicchio major papal and aristocratic commissions.