The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest (also known as The Gentleman with His Hand at His Breast [1] or Gentleman with his Hand on his Chest) (Spanish: El caballero de la mano en el pecho)[2] is an oil painting by El Greco, one of the earliest works painted by the artist in Spain.

[3] Painted in Toledo around 1580, and on display at the Museo del Prado,[4] it is the most famous of a series of secular portraits of unknown gentlemen, all of them dressed in black and wearing white ruffs, against dark backgrounds.

[1] Some authors, including those of the Prado itself, suggest it may be a portrait of Juan de Silva y de Ribera, 3rd Marquis of Montemayor and warden of the Alcazar of Toledo.

[4] The experts at the Prado, while mentioning that "specific names have been proposed for the sitter, including that of Cervantes",[3] and even "that the painting could be a self-portrait",[3] go on to state that "Without doubt, the most convincing suggestion has connected this figure with the Second Marquis of Montemayor, Juan de Silva y de Ribera, a contemporary of El Greco who was appointed military commander of the Alcázar in Toledo by Philip II and Chief Notary to the Crown, a position that would explain the solemn gesture of the hand, depicted in the act of taking an oath.

"[3] The artist Rupert Shrive and the historian Alex Burghart have also argued that it may be a self-portrait.