Portrait of a Man, Possibly Girolamo Rosati

Lotto painted Portrait of a Man, Possibly Girolamo Rosati in 1533-34, during his years in the Marches, the region of east-central Italy where he spent much of his career. He was about 53 years old and had been painting for over three decades, producing portraits and altarpieces for patrons in Venice, Bergamo, and the smaller cities of the Papal States. This portrait is one of his most penetrating character studies. The painting shows a man in his thirties, turned three-quarters toward the viewer, looking directly at us. He wears a dark coat with a fur collar and a small black cap. His expression is alert and intelligent, with a slight frown that suggests concentration. His right hand rests on a parapet, and his left hand holds a pair of gloves. The background is a warm, dark green, which makes the figure stand out in sharp relief. The sitter is possibly Girolamo Rosati, a nobleman from Ancona, though the identification is not certain. Lotto painted several portraits during his years in the Marches, and he developed a style of portraiture that was more psychological than that of his Venetian contemporaries. Where Titian painted portraits that emphasized the status and the power of the sitter, Lotto painted portraits that explored the inner life of the individual. His sitters look at the viewer with an intensity that is almost uncomfortable, as if they are trying to communicate something that words cannot express. Lotto was born in Venice and trained in the workshop of Alvise Vivarini, but he spent most of his career away from Venice, working in Bergamo, the Marches, and Rome. He was a contemporary of Titian, but he never achieved Titian's success or his international reputation. His work was rediscovered in the 20th century, when scholars recognized him as one of the most individual and expressive painters of the Italian Renaissance. Bernard Berenson, the great art historian, wrote that Lotto was 'the first Italian painter who was interested in the psychology of his sitters.' Oil on canvas, 57 by 44 centimeters. Lotto painted with a smooth, controlled touch, building the face in thin layers of warm flesh tone. The fur collar is painted in quick, directional strokes of brown and black, with the texture of the fur suggested by the brushwork. The gloves are painted in soft, translucent strokes of brown, with the leather described by the color relationships. The background is painted in a single, even layer of dark green, which gives the painting its sharp, focused quality. The vertical format and warm palette make this print work well in a study, bedroom, or hallway. The dark greens, browns, and warm flesh tones pair with dark wood, white walls, and rooms with a traditional or serious mood. The 11x14 or 16x20 size gives the face room to read. The painting has an intense, psychological quality that suits rooms with a quiet or contemplative mood. The painting entered the Cleveland Museum of Art with funds from the John L. Severance Fund. This is a CC0 artwork from the Cleveland Museum of Art. We print it on archival matte paper at sizes from 8x10 to 18x24 inches, framed or unframed.