Portrait of Emilio Pagani

The engraver Emilio Pagani (1866-1933), although of modest family, founded an established medal production industry and managed to promote the Italian production of silver cutlery, up to that time the preserve of foreign industries, especially English ones. In the will he appoints his brother Guido as heir, establishing a legacy of 100,000 lire for the Ospedale Maggiore. The commission of the portrait, at the request of his brother, is assigned to Giuseppe Amisani. The painter spreads a diffused and cold light over the whole painting and uses light colors, spread with broken and angular brushstrokes, he uses two different perspective views in the painting: one, from above, to represent the wide mountain landscape that serves as background , and one, more foreshortened, from below, to depict the benefactor that stands out in the composition.