This unusual portrait is one of Venetian portrait painting’s puzzling masterpieces. Neither its creator nor the figure portrayed are known. Its attribution to Giorgione is uncertain but stands very much to reason. In addition to the masterly depicted texture of the fur, the subtle psychological characterisation is equally fascinating: the young man’s face exudes both determination as well as reflection. The view of the figure from different sides, created by the pronounced twisting of the head, is probably in response to the rivalry between painting and sculpture.