Portrait of Roberto Castiglione

early 1600s

Italy, Cremona

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

Framed: 147.3 x 120.6 x 10.2 cm (58 x 47 1/2 x 4 in.); Unframed: 121.2 x 98.7 cm (47 11/16 x 38 7/8 in.)

Credit Line

Holden Collection 1916.804

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Location

Not on view

Description

The inscription on the bottom of this painting identifies the sitter of this commemorative portrait as Roberto Castiglione, a magistrate and imperial vicar for the Spanish empire in the 1200s. His identity is further supported by the coat of arms in the upper left. A red shield ornamented by a lion holding a castle with three towers in his right paw, the crest belongs to the Castiglione family, which was primarily based in Milan, but had branches in Cremona as well. His gloved left hand holds a prayer book and the glove for his bare right hand, which holds back the fur trim of his mantle.