Old Man with his Grandson, Ghirlandaio (c.1490).

An Old Man and his Grandson (Italian: Ritratto di vecchio con nipote) is a ca. 1490 tempera painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Domenico Ghirlandaio. One of Ghirlandaio's best-known works, it is considered notable for its emotional poignancy. Its realism has been described as unique among the portraits of the Quattrocento. The poignancy of the image is dramatized by the contrast between the man's weathered and wise face, and the child's delicate profile. An extraordinary feature of the painting is the deformity of the man's nose, evidence of rhinophyma. Ghirlandaio has presented the portrait in a naturalistic and sympathetic fashion, at variance with physiognomic theory of the era, which maintained a connection between external appearances and internal truths. The painting depicts a moment of intimacy between an old man and a child, underscored by the placement of the child's hand on the man's chest, and the man's gentle expression.

There is no more human picture in the entire range of Quattrocento painting, whether in or out of Italy. (Department of Paintings of the Louvre).