Ambrosiana

Portrait of a Gentleman (Michel de l’Hospital) Giovan Battista Moroni (1520-1578)

Portrait of a Gentleman (Michel de l’Hospital)

Giovan Battista Moroni (1520-1578)

  • TITLE

    : Portrait of a Gentleman (Michel de l’Hospital)
  • AUTHOR

    : Giovan Battista Moroni (1520-1578)
  • INVENTARIO

    : 196
  • DATE

    : 1554
  • TYPE

    : Painting
  • TECNIQUE

    : Oil on canvas
  • DIMENSIONS

    : 185 × 115 cm
  • SUBJECT

    : Portrait
  • SCUOLA PITTORICA

    : 16th century painting
  • ROOM

    : 12

In Roman numerals on the fragment of stone at the bottom right we see the date when Giovan Battista Moroni finished this portrait: 1554. It shows a gentleman, full-length, leaning on the plinth of a column, on which we see a Latin phrase taken from Horace: Impavidum ferient ruinae (“Ruins would strike him undismayed”). This motto has made it possible to make a hypothesis about the identity of the sitter: it might be Michel de l’Hospital, the representative of the King of France at the Tridentine Council (1547-1548), who did indeed use this phrase from Horace as his own personal motto, even though it was fairly common in sixteenth-century France. The painting is remarkable for its attention to detail, from the sitter’s garments through to the subtle play of shadows.

YOU MAY BE ALSO BE INTERESTED:

  • TITLE

    Portrait of a Gentleman (Michel de l’Hospital)
  • AUTHOR

    Giovan Battista Moroni (1520-1578)
  • INVENTARIO

    196
  • DATE

    1554
  • TYPE

    Painting
  • TECNIQUE

    Oil on canvas
  • DIMENSIONS

    185 × 115 cm
  • SUBJECT

    Portrait
  • SCUOLA PITTORICA

    16th century painting
  • ROOM

    12

WHAT’S ON

EUROPEAN MUSEUM NIGHT 2025 - SPECIAL EVENING OPENING

Pinacoteca

EUROPEAN MUSEUM NIGHT 2025 - SPECIAL EVENING OPENING

From 18.00 to 19.30 entrance to the Pinacoteca and Crypt at the special price of €3.00

17/05/2025-17/05/2025
ART IN RESPECT - A DIALOGUE

Ambrosiana

ART IN RESPECT - A DIALOGUE

From May 15 to 27, the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana in Milan hosts Art in Respect – A dialogue, a solo exhibition by artist and couturier Filippo Sorcinelli.

15/05/2025-27/05/2025
Exhibition
Natura morta<br>Jago and Caravaggio: two views on the transience of life

Pinacoteca

JUBILEE 2025 – XVII CENTENARY OF THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA

Pinacoteca