Portrait of Gian Gerolamo Grumelli (The Gentleman in Pink)

This portrait by Giovanni Battista Moroni shows Gian Gerolamo Grumelli, a nobleman from Bergamo who was probably around 24 when it was painted. The most striking feature is his clothing: a short-waisted jacket, a black belt peeking out at the waist, and trousers cut in the Castilian style, with stockings held up by garters. This fashion reflects the Spanish influence on dress of the period. He holds a plumed hat in his left hand and rests his right hand on the hilt of his sword, a pose that recalls Titian's portraits connected with the Spanish court. The intense pink of his outfit is echoed by the flush in his cheeks, and the colour was probably a choice shared by painter and sitter. The portrait may have been commissioned for his second marriage, which would help explain a Spanish inscription in bas-relief, whose meaning is still debated. The setting seems studied rather than real. The work belongs to a phase in which Moroni experimented boldly with poses and colours, probably the most daring part of that research before he moved to Albino.

Painter

Giovanni Battista Moroni

Date

1560

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

216 × 123 cm

Museum

Palazzo Moroni

Genre

portrait

Depicts

Gian Gerolamo Grumelli

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