The jawline, the pectoral muscles, the tasteful peek at the down below, and the precarious placement of the luxurious golden sheet all contribute to the deliciousness of this historical hunk. His casual sideways glance is enough to make any young girl swoon. However, it wasn't girls that our handsome model was after, and the true intrigue of this portrait lies in the history of the artist and his relationship with the model.

The artist, Paul Hoecker, had his fair share of sexual scandals. In 1897, word broke that Hoecker had used a male prostitute as a model for a painting of the Madonna. Eventually, this scandal forced him to resign from his elite position at the Munich Academy. He was socially rejected by his peers and retreated to Capri where he met the poet Jacques d'Adelsward-Ferson, who had fled Paris after his own scandal. There, Hoecker painted several portraits, including this one, of Fersen's lover, Nino Cesarini.

Nino Cesarini met Jacques d'Adelsward-Fersen in Rome on July 9th, 1904 at the tender age of fourteen. He found work as a construction worker and a newspaper salesman. Fersen conned Nino's parents into allowing Nino to work as a "secretary" with him in Capri. Their secret relationship blossomed, and Fersen commissioned several artists to immortalize Nino's beauty.  Fersen also commissioned famous sculptor, Francesco Jeraceto to cast a bronze statute of Nino. He also had Nino photographed as a Roman emperor and a Christian saint. He eventually sold these photographs commercially and faced radical criticism.

Nino, whose sexuality was not bound by gender constraints, also attracted women. When Nino and Fersen traveled to Venice, Nino flirted with Ricoy Antokolsky who eventually managed to seduce him. Fersen was enraged and produced a volume of poems that praised Nino's physical beauty in fear of being abandoned by his lover.

In 1923, Italian author and poet, Ada Negri, described the home of Nino and Fersen as "a place where everything was very beautiful, including Nino, the secretary, with the intense gaze of deep black eyes, crowned by well shaped eyebrows." He also noted that Fersen, who he considered "Nino's protector and lover" was greatly dependent on opium and smoked over thirty pipes a day.

In the same year, Fersen died of an overdose of cocaine dissolved in a glass of champagne. There were suspicions of suicide, but no evidence to substantiate the claim. Nino was named as the sole recipient of Fersen's estate in his will. In an attempt to preserve the family estate, Fersen's family spread a rumor that Nino had poisoned him in a jealous rage. Though the claim was taken seriously by the authorities in Naples, the accusation was dismissed.

Forbidden love, secret trysts, bisexual models, and alleged murder. What more could you want from an Art History Hottie?