Gentleman

In Northern Italy, and in Bergamo in particular, in the sixteenth century, a portraiture school of great prominence developed, drawing its origins from Moretto realism and developing through a chain of painters from Giovan Battista Moroni to Cavagna. This journey, which runs through the entire second half of the sixteenth century, has the fundamental trait of adhering deeply to the truth of the effigy, which is painted only as it is, without sentimental feelings or bombastic emphasis. This beautiful portrait, for example, shows a gentleman with a slightly sad look, in clothing covered with a fur cape. It can probably be dated to the end of the sixteenth century, or even to the beginning of the seventeenth. Therefore, attributing it to Gian Paolo Cavagna seems convincing, as he lived at the turn of the century and was also known for sacred works.Also, among the second and third generation painters of Bergamo, he is closest to the Venetian school. In the present work, in fact, the artist’s ability to create the brightness of the skin and the slightest details of the eyes, the forehead, the thin hair, the beard and the white collar brings him closer to the luministic sensibility which descends from Titian towards many artists, both average and minor.