Portrait of a man, three-quarter-length, wearing a black costume with a white collar

After the death of Tintoretto in 1594, Jacopo Negretti came to dominate the Venetian art scene, obtaining the majority of public and private commissions in the city. Born in Venice in 1544, he spent his youth travelling between Urbino and Rome under the patronage of the Duke of Urbino, who first summoned him to his court in 1567. He returned to Venice in 1574, and is thought to have been employed in Titian’s workshop. After the latter’s death, Palma was tasked with the completion of Titian’s unfinished masterpiece, the Pietà (Gallerie dell’ Accademia, Venice).¹ He was greatly influenced by the style of Veronese and Tintoretto, of which he remained a faithful imitator and collaborator. Mostly known for his large-scale decorative cycles and religious altarpieces, Palma also excelled in the art of portraiture, exemplified by the lively characterisation and confident handling of the present work.

¹ Inv. no. 400; oil on canvas; 353 x 347 cm.; https://www.gallerieaccademia.it/en/pieta