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Today, portraits are usually displayed so the subject is always visible.
During the Renaissance, however, some private portraits were deliberately made with hinged or sliding covers that concealed the sitter.
Others were double-sided, placed inside boxes, or designed almost like lockets.
The cover itself could contain symbols, mythology, inscriptions, or allegorical images representing the person's character.
A viewer was expected to interpret those clues before revealing the actual face underneath.
Some of these portraits were exchanged as tokens of friendship, love, or political allegiance.
So viewing a Renaissance portrait could sometimes be an interactive experience rather than simply looking at a painting on a wall.
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art