Hans Süss von Kulmbach (German, Kulmbach ca. 1480–1522 Nuremberg), Portrait of a Young Man; (reverse) Girl Making a Garland, ca. 1508. Oil on poplar, 17.8 x 14 cm. Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917 (17.190.21). © 2000–2024 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Double-sided portraits from the Renaissance sometimes combine a straightforward depiction of the sitter with a more symbolic picture on the reverse. This example pairs the likeness of a young man with the image of a girl making a flower garland in a windowsill. A curling banderole above her reads, "I bind with forget-me-nots," while the cat symbolizes respectable love. Viewed in sequence, the two sides of the portrait confirm the young man’s identity as a bridegroom.

'Hidden Faces: Covered Portraits of the Renaissance' at The Met until July 7, 2024