A small 17th-century Italian portrait of a young man carrying a book and a walking stick. It’s beautifully aged and probably a fragment of a larger work that’s been saved at some point.

He’s wearing a grey robe which is tied around the waist and another heavier brown garment over his shoulder. It’s possible that he could be a religious figure carrying the bible, perhaps a monk.

We purchased the painting from a private seller in Italy who in turn acquired it from the region of Asti.