This grave portrait of an unknown man, formerly attributed to Titian, was probably painted in 1579, as (is –delete) implied by the partly legible inscription lower left. On stylistic grounds, the picture is indebted to the mature work of Titian, without imitating any of his distinctive mannerisms. The possibility that the painting is an early work by El Greco, painted just after his arrival in Spain in 1577 cannot be eliminated. The few portraits which can be attributed to El Greco while under the influence of Titian support this view, even though there is no exact comparison.  The sitter has not been identified.

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