Portrait of a Gentleman of the Soranzo Family

Dressed in a sumptuous black velvet doublet and satin robe trimmed with ermine, the man in this portrait looks out to his right with a steady, impassive gaze. Seated in front of an architectural column against a backdrop of shimmering green drapery, the full-length format of this portrait conveys the importance and status of the sitter. He has traditionally been identified as a member of the Soranzo, one of Venice's leading noble families, for whom Veronese undertook several commissions throughout his career.

The sombre style and almost monochrome colour palette date this work to the very last decade of Veronese's life. During this period, he was working on numerous public and private commissi...