Portrait of Gabriele di Pietro Emo, Procurator of San Marco
inscribed and dated 1572
One of the leading artists in late 16th-century Venice, Tintoretto was often called on to paint this type of official portrait for members of the Venetian ruling class. The red velvet robe trimmed with ermine identifies the sitter as a procurator, a highly prestigious civic position, and the inscription tells us that he was also governor of the city of Brescia. His open hands signal receptiveness and transparency, admirable traits for a man of power. But the real sense of character and intelligence is in his face, as he gazes steadily at the viewer. As Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci advised, “A good painter is to paint two main things, men and the working of man’s mind.”
Oil on canvas
45 7/8 x 35 3/4 in. (116.52 x 90.81 cm)
Samuel H. Kress Collection
61.171
Provenance: Rt. Hon. George August Frederick Cavendish Bentinck (1821-1891), London, by 1876 (exhibited Old Masters, Royal Academy, London, 1876, no. 127 as Venetian Naval Officer by Tintoretto); [Cavendish Bentinck sale, Christie’s, London, July 11, 1891, no. 618, as Portrait of Gabriel Erno (sic) by Tintoretto, probably bought in]; Arthur James, London (exhibited Venetian Art, New Gallery, London, 1894-95); by inheritence to his wife, Mrs. Arthur James (nee Mary Venetia Cavendish-Bentinck, d. 1948), London and Warwicksire, to 1948; [Mrs. Arthur James sale, Christie’s London, Oct. 15, 1948, no. 113, as Tintoretto]; purchased from Christie's by Nicholls; [Count Alessandro Contini Bonacossi (1878-1955), Rome-Florence; purchased from Contini Bonacossi by Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York, July 1,1950 (exhibited Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1950-1952 or 1953); Seattle Art Museum, since 1954, accessioned 1961
Photo: Paul Macapia