Portrait of Doge Leonardo Loredan

The Portrait of Doge Leonardo Loredan is a painting by the Italian Renaissance master Giovanni Bellini, dating from 1501. It is on display in the National Gallery in London. It portrays Leonardo Loredan, Doge of Venice from 1501 to 1521, in his ceremonial garments with the corno worn over a linen cap, and is signed IOANNES BELLINVS on a cartellino ("small paper").

Portrait of Doge Leonardo Loredan
ArtistGiovanni Bellini
Year1501
MediumOil on panel
Dimensions61.6 cm × 45.1 cm (24.3 in × 17.8 in)
LocationNational Gallery, London

Description

This formal portrait depicts Leonardo Loredan in his official state robes as Doge of Venice, with its ornate buttons. The distinctively shaped hat is derived from the hood of a doublet.[1] As with other traditional portraits of the Doge, the composition resembles a Roman sculpted portrait bust. The painting is signed IOANNES BELLINVS – the Latin form of Giovanni Bellini – on a cartellino attached to a parapet at the base of the composition.[1]

John Pope-Hennessy described Bellini as "by far the greatest fifteenth-century official portraitist", adding that "the tendency towards ideality that impairs his private portraits here stood him in good stead, and enabled him to codify, with unwavering conviction, the official personality".[2]

Provenance

The painting would initially have been in Venice and was probably looted when Napoleon conquered the city. It was bought in 1807 for thirteen guineas by William Thomas Beckford, who in 1844 sold it to the National Gallery for £630 (equivalent to £63,471 in 2019).[3]

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References
  1. "Doge Leonardo Loredan". The National Gallery. Archived from the original on 2009-05-27.
  2. Pope Hennessey, John (1966). The Portrait in the Renaissance. London: Phaidon. p. 52.
  3. "Portrait of Doge Leonardo Loredan – Analysis".
  • Ballarin, A. (1987). "Bellini". Diccionario Larousse de la pintura. Planeta-De Agostini. ISBN 84-395-0649-X.
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