Tintoretto, Domenico (Werkstatt/Studio)

Description:

Venedig 1560 - 1635
53 x 42 cm
Portrait of a Venetian. Study as a bust portrait. Oil/canvas, relined. Carved, and gilt frame.
The canvas painting, which is unfortunately badly soiled and obscured by yellowed varnish and partial plastering, is likely to be a preliminary study for a portrait that was to be executed or had already been executed. The summarised, sketch-like sections painted with quick brushstrokes, such as the beard and hair, the texture and modelling of the cloak, the superficial treatment of the cloak's ornamentation, and even the rough hint of the shirt piping peeking out from under the cloak, argue against it being a copy of... but rather a study or sketch in preparation for...
We see in the portrait the Venetian Giovanni Grimani (1506-1593), bishop and later patriarch of Aquileia. For comparison, we should refer to the two portrait paintings of Giovanni Grimani that were offered at auction by Lempertz/Cologne in November 2017 (portrait of Giovanni Gimani knee-length) and Sotheby's in November 2004 (bust portrait).
The Grimani family was an influential, wealthy and highly respected family in 16th and 17th century Venice, and today you can still visit the ‘Palazzo Grimani di Santa Maria Formosa’ museum at the confluence of the San Severo and Santa Maria Formosa canals.