“Portrait of a man” or the “Portrait of an unknown sailor”

A recent study, curated by Sandro and Salvatore Varzi and Alessandro Dell’Aira, revealed that it is not of a sailor from the island of Lipari. An episcopal emblem, on the back of the board that unveiled clues that led to the identity of man. He was a powerful bishop-ambassador, the tutor of Ferdinand II of Aragon, King of Spain and Sicily, who, together with his wife Isabella I of Castile, financed Columbus’ expedition. His name is Francesco Vitale, of Apulian origins, and he was in charge of the diocese of Cefalù from 1484 until his death in 1492.