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Jacopo Tintoretto (artist) Italian, 1518 - 1594 A Procurator of Saint Mark's, 1575/1585 oil on canvas Overall: 138.7 x 101.3 cm (54 5/8 x 39 7/8 in.) framed: 167 x 128.9 x 9.8 cm (65 3/4 x 50 3/4 x 3 7/8 in.) Samuel H. Kress Collection 1952.5.79 |
Beginning in the 1550s, Tintoretto and his studio received numerous commissions for portraits of Venetian civic leaders. This work, painted entirely by Tintoretto between 1575 and 1585, is one of the finest surviving examples of a new and fashionable portrait type.
The sitter is dressed in a crimson velvet robe lined with ermine. A richly patterned stole is draped over his right shoulder. Together, these garments identify him as a procurator, a Venetian civic official similar to a chancellor or senator. Seated in a three-quarter pose, the man turns his head as if to address the viewer. His position of authority is conveyed by his serious expression and his firm grip on the arm of the chair. The painting's large format and the voluminous bulk of the costume reinforce the unidentified sitter's high official status.
With its saturated colors and assured brushwork, this portrait stands out as a superb example of Tintoretto's later painting style. While the garment is very thinly painted with red glazes, broad strokes of white create highlights on the edges of the fabric folds.