Gian Federico Madruzzo
Giovanni Battista Moroni·c. 1560
Historical Context
Moroni's portrait of Gian Federico Madruzzo, painted around 1560, depicts another member of the influential Madruzzo family of Trent that also produced the subject of his Gian Lodovico Madruzzo portrait. The Madruzzos were one of the most powerful families in the Trentino region, with family members serving as prince-bishops of Trent during the period of the Council of Trent (1545-1563). Moroni's connection to this family underscores his reputation as the preferred portraitist of the northern Italian elite.
Technical Analysis
Moroni's characteristic directness is evident in the unembellished presentation of the sitter against a neutral ground. The oil-on-canvas technique achieves remarkable subtlety in the face, with precise observation of individual features and a restrained palette that emphasizes the sitter's aristocratic gravity.
Provenance
Commissioned by the Madruzzo family, Prince Bishops of Trent, Castello del Buon Consiglio, Trent, Italy, until 1658; by inheritance to Baroni di Roccabruna, Trent;[1] by inheritance 1735 to Baroni Gaudenti della Torre, Trent; by inheritance by 1833 to Baroni Salvadori, Casa Salvadori, Trent; by inheritance to Baroni Isidro and Valentino, Salvadori, Casa Salvadori, Trent;[2] sold 1907 through (Trotti et Cie., Paris) and (M. Knoedler & Co., Paris) to James Stillman [d. 1918], New York; by inheritance to Charles Chauncey Stillman, New York;[3] (Stillman sale, American Art Association, New York, 3 February 1927, no. 28); purchased by (M. Knoedler & Co., New York); by whom sold to William R. Timken [1866-1949], New York; by inheritance to his widow, Lillian Guyer Timken [1881-1959], New York; bequest 1960 to NGA. [1] According to the Madruzzi family inventory, _inventarium mobilium castri boni consili_, p. 19. [2] According to G. B. Emert,_Fonti manoscritti inedite per la storia dell'arte nel Trentino_, 1939, p. 138. This year is when the Roccobruna family became extinct and the painting passed to the Baroni Guadenti. [3] According to Lionello Venturi, _Italian Paintings in America_, New York, 1933, vol. III, p. 538.
