The Portrait of Federico da Montefeltro and His Son Guidobaldo is a painting by Spanish Renaissance artist Pedro Berruguete

Pedro Berruguete

Pedro Berruguete was a Spanish painter; his art is regarded as a transitional style between gothic and Renaissance. Born in Paredes de Nava, Spain, he went to Italy in 1480 and worked in Federico III da Montefeltro's court in Urbino, where he could see some works by Melozzo da Forlì...

, dating from c. 1475 and housed in the Galleria nazionale delle Marche in Urbino

Urbino

Urbino is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of Federico da Montefeltro, duke of Urbino from 1444 to 1482...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

.

It is one of the main works executed by the Spanish painter ate the court of condottiero and Duke of Urbino Federico III da Montefeltro, where he had been called to in 1474 together with another painter of the Flemish school

Flemish painting

Flemish painting flourished from the early 15th century until the 17th century. Flanders delivered the leading painters in Northern Europe and attracted many promising young painters from neighbouring countries. These painters were invited to work at foreign courts and had a Europe-wide influence...

, Justus van Gent.

Description

The work has an elongated vertical shape which. Due also to the use of perspective (a constant feature in contemporary paintings at Urbino) from left, it could have been the left panel of a diptych or made to pair a pre-existing similar work.

It portrays Federico III da Montefeltro, humanist and military leader, in his studio, surrounded by the symbols of his power and his interests. His armor, partially covered by a precious mantle with a stoat

Stoat

The stoat , also known as the ermine or short-tailed weasel, is a species of Mustelid native to Eurasia and North America, distinguished from the least weasel by its larger size and longer tail with a prominent black tip...

 collar, refers to his primary role as condottiero. Further military hints include the necklace of the Order of the Golden Fleece

Order of the Golden Fleece

The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...

, as well as the helmet and the command baton on the ground. His left leg show the Garter

Order of the Garter

The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...

 given by him by the King of England. Other official symbols to his international status is the mitre

MITRE

The Mitre Corporation is a not-for-profit organization based in Bedford, Massachusetts and McLean, Virginia...

 with pearls on the shelf at the left upper corner, which was a personal gift of the Ottoman sultan.

The duke sits on a sort of throne, and is reading a codex, an expensive item for the time, and also an allusion to his humanist interests. Near to Federico is his young son Guidobaldo

Guidobaldo da Montefeltro

thumb|240px|Portrait of Guidobaldo da Montefeltro by [[Raphael]].Guidobaldo da Montefeltro , also known as Guidobaldo I, was an Italian condottiero and the Duke of Urbino from 1482 to 1508.-Biography:...

, a future duke of Urbino, who also wears rich clothes and holds a command baton.