Portrait of a boy as saint Sebastian

In the Stroganov collection, considered as a work by Leonardo; attributed to Boltraffio at the end of the 19th century. In the past the figure depicted in the picture had been interpreted as St. Louis, St. Sebastian or as a portrait of Salai - a pupil of Leonardo's. There is a certain typological resemblance between this figure and portraits of the Milanese poet Giorolamo Casio. The arrow in the youth's hand is not only an attribute of St. Sebastian, but also indicates misfortune in love.
Provenance: acquired by Count S.G.Stroganov (St. Petersburg) in the mid-19th century; acquired by the Hermitage from the Stroganov palace-museum (Petrograd) in 1922; in the Pushkin Museum since 1930.