An Old Man and his Grandson

One of Ghirlandaio’s best-known works, it is considered notable for its emotional poignancy. Its realism has been described as unique among the portraits of the Quattrocento.

Ghirlandaio has presented the portrait in a naturalistic and sympathetic fashion, at variance with physiognomic theory of the era, which maintained a connection between external appearances and internal truths.

An extraordinary feature of the painting is the deformity of the man’s nose, evidence of rhinophyma that recently led to the writing of several medical essays.

This work is one of Ghirlandaio’s best-known paintings for its emotional poignancy and realism.