A Fragmented Portrait: Exploring the Enigma of Spanish Painting The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds a captivating painting attributed to a Spanish (Castilian) artist—a piece that embodies the spirit of late fifteenth-century art, specifically ‘Head of a Man.’ While definitive attribution remains elusive, its presence within the Havemeyer Collection speaks volumes about artistic taste and scholarly debate. Initial praise from luminaries like Degas and Cassatt suggested a connection to Diego Velázquez, marking it as an exemplar of his early style—characterized by broad brushstrokes and a fran…