In the documents that record the donation of this painting by Cardinal Federico, it is attributed to Andrea del Sarto and is said to show the young Christ or the young Saviour with a ball in his hand. More recently, art historians have tended to see in this painting a good copy from an original by Giorgione that is unfortunately now lost. The sitter would appear to exclude the idea that this is a religious subject, and it has been suggested that it might be the young Paris holding a golden ball, alluding to the famous golden apple of mythology, or quite simply an anonymous page with youthful, almost childish features.
