Portrait Puzzles: Devotio Moderna in Petrus Christus’ Portrait of a Young Man

Petrus Christus’ Portrait of a Young Man delights the eye. We begin our new art series, 'Portrait Puzzles', with this example of early Netherlandish devotional portraiture, painted by one of the most well-known Northern European artists of the period. Its religious function, however, may not jump out immediately for the modern-day viewer. 

Devotio Moderna was a religious reform movement that began in the fourteenth century. The movement peaked in the mid-15th century but faded with the Protestant Reformation in 1517. Above all, Devotio Moderna emphasized a life of private devotion and meditation. Objects used during an individual’s personal prayer linked art with the reform movement. Small, portable items became very popular: books, prayer beads, manuscript leaves, statues, and much more.

Let’s take a closer look at this painting, the first in this series of 'Portrait Puzzles'.

How do we see private devotion in this portrait by Petrus Christus? Can you piece it together as we go along?