Portrait of a Gentleman
Historical Context
Jacopo Negretti, known as Palma Giovane, painted this portrait of a gentleman around 1590, during his period as the leading painter in Venice following the deaths of Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese. Palma Giovane was the dominant force in Venetian painting at the turn of the seventeenth century, completing unfinished works by Titian and producing portraits, altarpieces, and decorative cycles for Venice's churches and palaces.
Technical Analysis
Palma Giovane's oil on canvas demonstrates the dark, dramatic palette and fluid brushwork of his late Mannerist style. The portrait combines the warmth of the Venetian tradition with the somber, introspective mood characteristic of late sixteenth-century portraiture.
Provenance
Asscher and Welker, London, to 1937 [according to letter of February 1, 1937, from Kenneth Clark to Asscher and Welker]. E. and A. Sliberman, New York, 1937; sold to Charles H. Worcester, November 4, 1937; given by him to the Art Institute, 1937.
