Portrait of Orazio Rancati

Orazio Rancati (1598-1679) is known to have lived in Milan in Corso di Porta Tosa, today's Corso di Porta Vittoria. In the will, he leaves his property to a natural son and, in the alternative, to the major hospital if the son had died without male descendants. This came about in 1683 and the hospital thus inherited 800,000 lire, to which was added another legacy which had always been disposed in its favour. The portrait was commissioned from Salomon Adler, a famous portrait painter from Gdansk, active in Italy in Bergamo, Venice, Milan, whose painting is strongly influenced by the masters of Flemish painting, in particular by Rembrandt.