Gian Lodovico Madruzzo
Giovanni Battista Moroni·1551–52
Historical Context
Giovanni Battista Moroni's portrait of Gian Lodovico Madruzzo, painted in 1551-52, depicts a member of the powerful Madruzzo family of Trent, whose relatives served as prince-bishops and hosted sessions of the Council of Trent. Moroni, working in Bergamo and Brescia, was the foremost Italian portrait painter of the later sixteenth century, celebrated for his psychologically penetrating depictions of the provincial nobility and bourgeoisie.
Technical Analysis
Moroni's direct, naturalistic approach is evident in the sober palette and precise rendering of the sitter's features. The composition places the figure against a neutral background, allowing the viewer to focus entirely on the subject's character and bearing.
Provenance
Probably Madruzzo family, Castello del Buon Consiglio, Trent; by descent to Carlo Emanuele Madruzzo (died 1658) [the painting and its pendant, the portrait of his brother Gian Federico Madruzzo now in the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., have been identified as the “due quadri de ritratti de Madruzzi” recorded in an inventory of the Castello made between December 1658 and January 13, 1659, see Oberziner 1900 and Shapley, 1979]; possibly his cousin Charlotte de Lénoncourt [see Oberziner 1900]. Barons Roccabruna, Trent, by 1682; by descent to Giacomo Roccabruna (died 1735) [The picture and the portrait of Gian Federico Madruzzo, as well as the portrait of their uncle Cardinal Cristoforo Madruzzo by Titian, are presumably the “I tre quadri grandi di Madruzzi” mentioned in a 1682 Roccabruna inventory cited by Oberziner 1900]; by descent to his sister Anna Caterina, wife of Baron Antonio Gaudenti della Torre, Trent [according to Oberziner 1900]; Gaudenti family, Trent, until at least 1782 [Chiusole 1782 noted that “il Signor Gaudenti, fra altre cose degne, conserva tre ritratti di Tiziano”]; to the brothers Barons Isidoro and Valentino Salvadori, Trent, by 1833 [according to an 1833 manuscript by Benedetto Giovanelli published by Emert 1939 describing “Tre ritratti de’ Madruzzi”; see Emert 1939 for the relationship of the Guadenti and Salvadori families]; sold to Trotti and Co., Paris, and Knoedler, Paris, 1906 along with the portrait of Gian Federico Madruzzo and the portrait of Cardinal Cristoforo Madruzzo by Titian [see Trotti 1927 and Gregori 1979]; sold by Trotti and Knoedler to James Stillman (died 1918), Paris and New York, by 1907 along with the portraits of Gian Federico Madruzzo and Cardinal Cristoforo Madruzzo [Trotti 1927 and Berenson 1907]; by descent to his son Charles Chauncey Stillman (died 1927), New York, along with the portraits of Gian Federico Madruzzo and Cardinal Cristoforo Madruzzo; on loan to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1921–26 [according to registrar’s records]; sold American Art Association, New York, February 3, 1927, no. 27 to Charles H. Worcester, Chicago [for buyer information, see Rich, Art News, 1930; the portrait of Gian Federico Madruzzo was sold as no. 28.]; on loan to the Art Institute from 1927; given to the Art Institute, 1929.
