The boy in clerical dress is now unanimously identified as Francesco Gonzaga (1444-83) - who was elected apostolic protonotary in 1454, and cardinal in 1461- on the basis of a resemblance to the personage the artist represented later on the wall of the Camera Picta, Mantova. Differently from most of his portraits, Mantegna repeats Pisanello's traditional formula in making the profile stand out against a dark background. Anyway, the brightness of the skin, and the expression of the face with pouting lips make this small portrait more naturalistic. Coming from the precious collection of Fulvio Orsini, it was exhibited in the second room of the Palazzo Farnese, Rome, until 1760 when, attributed to Giovanni Bellini, it was sent to Naples with other works and placed in the new Quadreria farnesiana of Capodimonte.