Portrait Painting in 16th century Europe

Malaya del RosarioArt History, MBA Art and Cultural Management

This essay aims to discuss and compare two notable portraits from

the Mannerist period of Italian Renaissance, namely Titian’s Man

with a Glove (c. 1520) and Francesco Salviati’s Portrait of a Florentine

Nobleman (c. 1546). I will be doing so using Erwin Panofsky’s

study of art objects, in which one starts off by directly

describing the image at hand, followed by its iconographic motifs

and meanings, and finally, the work’s iconology or significance

to its milieu (Woodrow, 1999).

During medieval Europe, portraits were mainly reserved for rulers

and historical figures. However, the growth of trade in 15th

century Italy, notably in Florence, produced many wealthy

individuals, giving them the power to afford commissioned art

works. The rise of humanism, an approach that focused on human

achievement and recognition, also played a part in popularizing

the practice of portraiture. These works, then, became an

important proof and reminder of the elite’s status in society and

were seen as representations of the subjects’ interests and

values (Gardner and Kleiner, 1996).

Due to the strong patronage of art objects, the artistic scene in

Italy was highly competitive and commercial. It was essential for

artists to gain and cultivate friendships with the rich in order

to make a living, and consequently, garner fame and success

through commissioned works (Christiansen and Rubin, 2011). Many

painters of the time referred to classical Roman and Greek

themes. It would not be unusual to find references to antiquity -

events, structures, personalities - in the background of these

images. Another convention that developed in the late 15th

century was the three-quarter face and full portraits, as opposed

to the profile and bust-length portraits usually associated with

the Roman and medieval era (Gardner and Kleiner, 1996).

Man with a Glove

Tiziano Vecellio (ca.1488–1576), otherwise known as Titian, was a

Venetian artist most known for his altarpiece paintings,

landscapes, and portraits. He made numerous portraits for

aristocrats and monarchs, and became known as the “painter of

princes.” In Man with a Glove, believed to be created around 1520

around the beginning of the Mannerist period, we see a three-

quarters view of a young man dressed in a wide, dark robe and a

white undershirt, sporting a neatly-styled haircut. His look is

deemed to be typical of 16th century Italy. He is adorned by a

hanging pendant on his neck and a ring on the right hand. In

fact, the Louvre, where the painting is presently found,

describes the pendant as a medallion “set with a sapphire and a

pearl” and the ring as “bearing a coat of arms.1” In the

subject’s left hand is a ripped glove - a symbol of wealth at the

time - and finally, we see that the same hand is clutching

another glove meant for his right hand. He seems to have taken it

off for the portrait to show us his ring. His gaze is nonchalant

yet soft, and slightly turned away from the viewer. His pose

seems relaxed and confident.

Titian used a limited yet contrasting color palette for this

painting. In the background, it is dark and fuzzy, except for a

hint of a structure on the lower right corner of the frame where

the man is resting his left arm. The image is unique as it does

not refer to elements of classical antiquity unlike most

1 http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/man-glove

portraits of the time. Moreover, the difference between the

somber background and the warmly lit foreground draws the

viewer’s focus solely on the subject’s face, hands, and personal

effects.

To this day, the identity of the Man with the Glove has not been

confirmed, so we do not know the purpose of the commision, nor

how successfully Titian was able to capture his sitter. On the

other hand, we might take a clue from Leon Battista Alberti in

Della pittura (1435), wherein he describes portraits as a painting

that “possesses a truly divine power in that not only does it

make the absent present (as they say of friendship), but it also

represents the dead to the living many centuries later, so they

are recognized by spectators with pleasure and deep admiration

for the artist.” In other words, no matter its true purpose or

the identity of the man, the painting is a testament to the

artistic and social conditions of the time, as well as to

Titian’s skill in portraiture.

Still, the image itself reveals other things about the subject.

His accessories, notably the precious stones and the possession

of a coat of arms, suggest that he comes from a wealthy or

prominent aristocratic background. His elegant appearance makes

him a well-dressed 18-20 year old for his time.

It was Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo, a Milanese painter and theorist of

the Mannerist period, who realized the significance of Italian

Renaissance portraiture. In fact, he devoted a whole chapter in

“Trattato dell'arte della pittura, scoltura et architettura”

(1584) discussing the conventions of the practice. In it, he

talked about the importance of a subject having gravita, wherein

he is portrayed as a ruler, even if “this is not his nature”

(Silver, 1998). Thus, a portrait had to clearly define a

subject’s social status through contemporary clothing, official

symbols, facial expression, and body language. All this was

planned in order to resemble portraits of official figures of the

past, achieve a “suitable characterization” of the subject, and

command authority for the image.

Portrait of a Florentine Nobleman

Francesco de' Rossi (ca. 1510–1563), more commonly referred to as

Francesco Salviati, was a Florentine painter known for his

frescoes and Mannerist portraits. He traveled and lived all

around Europe but mostly worked in Florence and Rome where he

acquired several commissions from the Duke of Tuscany, the papal

court, and prominent families of the area. In Portrait of a Florentine

Nobleman, believed to be created between 1546 and 1548 at the

height of the Mannerist era, we see again a three-quarters view

of a young man wearing a dark, wide robe and white undershirt.

Just like Titian’s Man with a Glove, this Florentine nobleman is

sporting a ring, but instead of wearing a glove, is carrying it

with his left hand. His right hand, on the other hand, casually

rests on his right hip, looking a bit contorted. His arms and

fingers are long and agile-looking, in typical Mannerist style.

His gaze is again looking away from the viewer but his expression

seems a bit mischievous as detected from his slightly upturned

lips. His wispy hair needs just a little bit of trimming.

In the background, a heavy, apple-green knotted drapery cascades

down the frame of the artwork and acts as a dominant backdrop.

Behind it, we see a flower, the reclining form of a Greek-

inspired male figure, and a lion. In the distance, we see a

glimpse of a landscape topped by heavy, orange clouds. The Saint

Louis Art Museum, which currently houses the painting, has

documented a tiny figure of a woman found atop the flower

blossom, while the reclining man is believed to be a river god.

Both figures are said to embody the city of Florence, whose name

comes from the word “flower” in Italian (flore), and is situated

beside a river (Arno)2. Moreover, Florence at the time was

represented by a lion called Marzocco, who symbolized the power

and authority of the city’s rulers (Johnson, 2005).

Unlike Titian’s work, Salviati used more varied and lighter

colors in his palette. In turn, the viewer’s eye is drawn not

only on the subject but on the eye-catching drapes behind him,

and finally, the curious figures in the background. The bright

light also allows us to examine more clearly the man’s attire,

revealing a silk-like fabric and the intricate design of his

robe. According to costume historian Anne Hollander, fabrics and

drapes in Renaissance portraits served to emit a feeling of

“ideal grace” through the way they folded and accompanied the

subject’s body. As she described, “With draped clothing, the

ancient Greeks had managed the impossible - a stylization of

cloth and bodies so subtle that the actual and the ideal were

apparently identical; in the Christian and Neo-Platonist Italian

Renaissance, artists concentrated on the ideal, with a set of

conventions for figuring it forth in drapery designed for this

sole purpose” (Paulicelli, 2014).

2http://goo.gl/gupf2J

Just like Man with the Glove, the identity of the Florentine Nobleman is

unverified to this day. Judging from his appearance and

accompanying symbols in the portrait, however, one can deduce

that he is again someone of prominence in Italian society.

Comparing Salviati and Titian’s works, one could instantly see a

difference in personality between the two works. Salviati’s work

is brighter, more energetic, and more whimsical as compared to

Titian’s. Additionally, the Florentine Nobleman’s pose is less stiff

than the Man with a Glove, but is also somewhat less noble and

confident, as expressed by the dynamic placement of his arms.

Baldassare Castiglione, a prominent courtier and Renaissance

author, talked about grace extensively in Il Libro del Cortegiano

(1528), as embodied by the “perfect courtier.” For him, the

perfect courtier must have sprezzatura or sufficient grace. Anyone

who tried too hard would be affettazione and would no longer be

considered graceful (Paulicelli, 2014). The subject, therefore,

had to carefully work with the artist in order to come up with an

ideal representation. This resulted in an “intimate contact

between the portrayer and the portrayed, and in every age of

refined taste they interact in ways which may be either

stimulated or constrained.” But as Aby Warburg suggested, not

everyone aimed for sprezzatura. While some would aim to conform to

conventions, others would regard “the uniqueness of his own

personality as the thing worth showing; and he accordingly edges

the art of portraiture toward the typical or towards the

individual” (Warburg, 1999).

Another common element between the two works is the existence of

gloves. In the medieval era and the age of chivalry, gloves were

regarded as either a symbol of legal authority, an acceptance of

challenge, and loyalty and service to the recipient (if presented

as a gift). However, by the 17th century, gloves had lost their

legal significance and become more of a status symbol. Being a

luxury item, they became the fashionable accessories of the rich,

much like fans and handkerchiefs (Winkel, 2006). It was common,

then, for the elite to display gloves in portraits.

As Peter Stallybrass and Ann Rosalind Jones observe, “The

unpairing of gloves (the taking off of one to perform an action)

is often a functional activity. But in Renaissance portraiture

the hands are unpaired again and again as sitters are depicted

with one glove on, the other off. And the hands are rarely doing

anything. In this aristocratic iconography, both the uselessness

of the hands and their differences from each other are

immediately striking” (Brown, 2004). The case of the Man with the

Glove is interesting due to the quality of the subject’s ripped

glove, suggesting that it is not new and had already been used

repeatedly. This detail may again be attributed to the idea of

sprezzatura. A ripped glove, as opposed to two unripped ones may

just be perceived as affettazione, or in this instance, trying too

hard to exhibit one’s wealth (Paulicelli, 2014). In the case of

the Florentine Nobleman, both of his hands are exposed, but his

upwardly turned left hand holding a glove seems to be flaunting

rather than holding it.

Portraiture during the Italian Renaissance developed many of the

artistic conventions that we still know about portraits today,

such as composition, the inclusion of identifying symbols, and

the complexities of self-representation. It also greatly

influenced the relationship between the artist and his subject --

as the portrayer and the portrayed or the client and the

executant. Theirs was a mutual understanding and constant

negotiation with the shared purpose of arriving at an ideal final

product that represented the subject in a positive, if a bit

manipulated, light. Reasons for commissioning portraits were

varied, personal, and are not always known. The true purpose of

each painting can only be verified through existing

documentation, otherwise, its meaning is dependent on the

viewer’s analysis of the actual image or on references to

peripheral history and accepted canons of the time. Perhaps the

identity of the men behind Man with the Glove and Portrait of a Florentine

Nobleman will never be discovered, but both portraits attest to a

part of European history. They are proof of the remarkable

artistic splendor of Italy in the 16th century, as well as the

growing dominance and power of the country’s merchants and

aristocrats.

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