Portrait of Carlo Giuseppe Cabiati

Carlo Giuseppe Cabiati (1722-1799), a rich silk, jewelery and valuables merchant, appoints the Ospedale Maggiore as universal heir, providing a lifetime usufruct for his wife, on condition, however, that she does not remarry. The commission of the portrait is entrusted to Anton Francesco Biondi, who in the span of thirty years performs 12 portraits for a Quadreria Ospedaliera, which represents him in a "place" full of details (worked socks, plaid waistcoat, underarm hat with rosette) , partly a bit retro, partly decidedly fashionable, with a well-defined landscape background which in a certain sense constitutes the environment of the portrait and, at the same time, expands it and gives it a sense of depth.