Double Portrait with the Della Rovere Family Emblem
by BAROCCI, Federico Fiori, Oil on canvas, 92 cm x 78 cm
This double portrait depicts a nobleman proffering an oak branch full of acorns to a young woman. The bearded male figure, dressed in a severe black costume, stands behind the woman pointing to the oak branch. The picture’s format suggests the celebration of a conjugal relationship. The oak and acorns, an emblem long associated with the Della Rovere family of Urbino, indicate that at least one of the two sitters was a member of that family. However, the sitters and the event being commemorated have proven to be difficult to identify.