A Man Reading (Saint Ivo?)
- Artist: Rogier van der Weyden
- Date: about 1450
- Medium: oil on wood
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the "A Man Reading (Saint Ivo?)" painted in the style of Rogier van der Weyden, although it's not entirely clear if this is a work by him or an imitator. The painting dates back to around 1450 and is made from oil on wood.
Notice how the sitter holds what appears to be a letter in his hand, but the writing is illegible due to being a kind of imaginary cursive. He's dressed in a purplish-grey robe with a black scarf over his shoulder and his hat hanging down his back.
If we look closely at the background, we see a beautifully detailed landscape that includes a stone bridge, a river, and various buildings. There are also tiny figures going about their daily business - a rowing boat on the river, people crossing the bridge, and even an outdoor party taking place under some trees.
For many years, this figure was thought to be Saint Ivo, the patron saint of lawyers, but the original halo and inscription that used to be present have since been removed. It's possible that this painting is either an image of Saint Ivo made when his iconography wasn't fully understood or a different subject transformed into the saint as he gained popularity.
See it in person
A Man Reading (Saint Ivo?) hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
