Jacopo Tintoretto
, Italian, 1519-1594
Title
Portrait of a Venetian SenatorDate1575-1580
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
84 x 60 cm
Credit LinePurchased, 1945
Object numberNGI.1122
ProvenanceSir Herbert Cook, Doughty House, Richmond, Surrey; purchased, Mr F.A. Drey, London, 1945Exhibition HistoryVenetian Exhibition, New Gallery, 1894-1895
Genius of Venice 1500-1600, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 25 November 1983 - 11 March 1984
From Titian to Delacroix: Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Ireland, Yokohama Sogo Museum of Art, 25 August - 17 October 1993; Chiba Sogo Museum of Art, 10 November - 20 December 1993; Prefectural Museum of Art, Yamaguchi, 5 January - 20 Fabruary 1994; Kobe City Museum, 25 February - 10 April 1994; Isetan Museum of Art, 14 April - 24 May 1994
European Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Ireland, National Gallery, Canberra, 25 June - 3 October 1994; Art Gallery of New South Wales, 21 October 1994 - 15 January 1995
Label TextAlthough he struggled to establish himself early in his career, Tintoretto later became one of the three key artists, alongside Titian and Veronese, to dominate Venetian art in the sixteenth century. This portrait of an unknown sitter showcases Tintoretto’s prestezza (the use of rapidly applied, sketchy brushstrokes), a technique which attracted both criticism and admiration from his peers. His interest in the effects of light is apparent in the way he rendered the various textures in the portrait: fur, velvet, coarse beard hair, and wrinkled skin.