Portrait of a Notable

The presence of the grid indicates a preparatory function of the drawing, probably intended for transfer to canvas. The clothing and attitude of the figure recall the typology of the Venetian dignitary, frequently represented in the official portraiture of the Serenissima between the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century. The composition presents close affinities with the numerous portraits of Venetian patricians executed by Domenico Tintoretto. The physiognomy of the subject closely resembles that of a painting sold at auction in Zurich by Koller (1).