On Looking at Ghirlandaio’s Portrait of an Old Man and his Grandson   Yes, the old man’s nose is the first thing we notice. Undeniably ugly, it is very large and covered with warts, cruel contrast to his grandson’s upturned face with its flawless skin and golden hair. But then our perception shifts. We start to see the old man as his grandson sees him, we catch that faint smile and the tenderness as his hooded eyes look down on the radiant child pressed against him. Both their clothes are the same warm red, as if to reflect the blood…