Bartolomeo Veneto, 'Lodovico Martinengo', 1530
About the work
Overview
This elegant young man’s identity is revealed on the strip of paper or parchment curled around the pole. The inscription is now difficult to read, but appears to say: Lodovico Martinengo at the age of _ years. Painted by Bartolomeo Veneto 16 June 1530.
When the picture was first acquired by the National Gallery, the young man’s age was read as 21. Lodovico may have been from the branch of the Martinengo family living in Brescia. He is richly dressed and must have been very wealthy.
Although it has been cut down a little at the sides, the painting was always narrow – a format favoured by Bartolomeo. Cleaning has revealed two grey objects with curved outlines cut by the left edge of the painting at about the level of Lodovico’s chin. It is no longer possible to tell what they are, but when the portrait was first painted Lodovico was looking at them. They probably gave a sense of his interests or character.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Lodovico Martinengo
- Artist
- Bartolomeo Veneto
- Artist dates
- active 1502 - 1546
- Date made
- 1530
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 105.5 × 72.6 cm
- Inscription summary
- Signed; Dated and inscribed
- Acquisition credit
- Bought, 1855
- Inventory number
- NG287
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Frame
- 17th-century Italian Frame
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Nicholas Penny, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Paintings’, vol. 1, ‘Paintings from Bergamo, Brescia and Cremona’, London 2004; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
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1907'A Portrait by Bartolommeo Veneto', The Burlington Magazine, XI/52, 1907, pp. 227, 231
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1923E. Beck, 'Art and History', The Burlington Magazine, XLIII, 1923, pp. 293-8
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1959Gould, Cecil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Venetian School, London 1959
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1973C. Gilbert, 'Bartolomeo Veneto and His Portrait of a Lady', National Gallery of Canada Bulletin, XXII, 1973, pp. 2-16
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1975C. Gould, Delaroche and Gautier: Gautier's Views on the 'Execution of Lady Jane Grey' and on other Compositions by Delaroche, London 1975
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1977S.M. Newton, 'The Dating of a Portrait by Bartolommeo Veneto', Arte veneta, XXX, 1977, pp. 157-8
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1979National Gallery, 'Pictures Cleaned and Restored in the Conservation Department of the National Gallery, January 1979 - February 1980', National Gallery Technical Bulletin, IV, 1980
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1985C.T. Dowd, 'The Travel Diary of Otto Mündler', The Walpole Society, LI, 1985
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1987Gould, Cecil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Schools, London 1987
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1997L. Pagnotta, Bartolomeo Veneto: L'opera completa, Florence 1997
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2000P. Humfrey et al., Giovanni Battista Moroni: Renaissance Portraitist (exh. cat. Kimbell Art Museum, 26 February - 28 May 2000), Fort Worth 2000
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2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
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2002L. Pagnotta, The Portraits of Bartolomeo Veneto (exh. cat. Timken Museum of Art, 3 May - 11 August 2002), San Diego 2002
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2004
Penny, Nicholas, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Paintings, 1, Paintings from Bergamo, Brescia and Cremona, London 2004
Frame
This frame probably dates to the seventeenth century and may have originated in Tuscany, Italy. The ebonised cassetta frame is adorned with walnut mouldings and laminate walnut wood on the frieze, accented by a gilt beaded sight edge.
When the frame was acquired in 2015 it was fitted to Bartolomeo Veneto’s Lodovico Martinengo.
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
Images
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