Portrait of a Man (Gerolamo Avogadro?)

This full-length portrait shows a man standing at life size, dressed in dark, sober clothing that keeps the attention on his face and bearing. It is catalogued as Portrait of a Man, with a possible identification of Gerolamo Avogadro noted in parentheses; that name should be read as a hypothesis, since the sitter's identity is not confirmed. The painter is Moretto, active in Brescia, and the work is dated 1526. The National Gallery in London acquired it in 1876 from the Fenaroli Avogadro Collection, also in Brescia, which suggests it stayed in that Lombard city before reaching England. Its main significance lies in being considered the earliest surviving standing, life-size portrait in the history of art, predating those by Titian. That precedence makes it a useful reference point for understanding how the monumental portrait developed in northern Italy during the Renaissance.

Painter

Moretto da Brescia

Date

1526

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

201 × 92 cm

Museum

National Gallery, London

Genre

portrait

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