The ''Portrait of Cardinal Ludovico Trevisan'' is a painting by the Italian

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

artist

Andrea Mantegna Andrea Mantegna (, , ; September 13, 1506) was an Italian painter, a student of Roman archeology, and son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with perspective, e.g. by lowering the horizon in order ...

, dated to c. 1459-1460.

History

The identification of the painting's subject as the Venetian cardinal

Ludovico Trevisan Ludovico Trevisan (November 1401 – March 22, 1465) was an Italian catholic prelate, who was the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, Patriarch of Aquileia and Captain General of the Church. He succeeded his rival Giovanni Vitelleschi, a fellow ...

is confirmed by several copies of the work, as that once in the Bromley Davenport Collection including the man's name, titles and coat of arms, as well as by a medal attributed to

Cristoforo di Geremia Cristoforo di Geremia (1410–1476) of Mantua was a Renaissance sculptor, goldsmith, and medallist. He worked in Rome beginning sometime around 1456 and was active until 1476. He is most famous for his bronze medallion work under Pope Paul II. Cri ...

or an etching included in the 1630 ''Illustrium virorum elogia'', where it is also specified that the portrait belonged to Francesco Leone of

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

. Cardinal Trevisan, later also known as Scarampi Mezzarota, took part in the

council of Mantua The Council of Mantua of 1459, or Congress of Mantua, was a religious meeting convoked by Pope Pius II, who had been elected to the Papacy in the previous year and was engaged in planning war against the Ottoman Turks, who had taken Constantinople ...

in 1459: the portrait was commissioned from Mantegna when the artist was still in Padua, shortly before he established himself in Mantua.

Description

The cardinal is portrayed from in a three-quarter position over a dark background, with strong

chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...

effects which enhance the volume of the figure, turning it into a king of Roman-style bust in painting. The serious and concentrated glance and the detail of the closed lips underline the strong character of the man, who was not only a politician and diplomat, but also a war leader. Mantegna gave a notable attention not only to the details of the face (lips, wrinkles, the

clerical tonsure Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice in ...

), but also to the garments, indicating his high social status.

Sources

*''La Grande Storia dell'Arte - Il Quattrocento'', ''

Il Sole 24 Ore ''Il Sole 24 Ore'' () is an Italian national daily business newspaper owned by Confindustria, the Italian employers' federation. History and profile ''Il Sole 24 Ore'' was first published on 9 November 1965 as a merger between ''Il Sole'' ("the ...

'', 2005 * Kleiner, Frank S. ''Gardner's Art Through the Ages, 13th Edition'', 2008 * Manca, Joseph. ''Andrea Mantegna and the Italian Renaissance'', 2006
{{Andrea Mantegna 1450s paintings Paintings by Andrea Mantegna Paintings in the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin