VENETIAN SCHOOL, MID-16TH CENTURY | Portrait of a gentleman, three-quarter-length, dressed in black and ermine, holding gloves and resting his hand on a table on which stands a sculpture, a landscape beyond

Private collection, by 1937;
Anonymous sale, Vienna, Dorotheum, 9 April 2014, lot 511 (as Venetian School, 16th century).

A. Venturi, 'Tre ritratti inediti di Titian', in L'Arte, vol. XL, January 1937, p. 55, reproduced p. 54, fig. 1 (as Titian).

The canvas is lined, the paint surface is dirty and the varnish is discoloured. The lining is rather rigid and the surface consequently a little flattened and worn. The varnish fluoresces opaquely under ultraviolet light, but reveals scattered spot retouchings in the sitter’s hair and beard, some slightly larger retouchings in the tablecloth lower left, and two more concentrated areas of restoration in the sitter’s proper left shoulder and in his coat, lower centre, neither of which measures more than 10cm. Other retouchings are more visible to the naked eye, notably scattered throughout the ermine collar and lining. The painting is in overall moderate condition. Offered in a period, elaborate carved and gilt wood frame in very good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The gentleman represented in this portrait bears resemblance to both Titian's portrait of the humanist, Daniele Barbaro (1513–1570), in the Museo del Prado, Madrid,¹ and the sitter in Titian's Portrait of a man, previously identified as Filippo di Piero Strozzi (1541–82), in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (fig. 1). In written correspondence dated 30 December 1933, the art historian Giuseppe Fiocco expressed his opinion that the present work is by Titian, datable to circa 1550.

1 Inv. no. P000414; see H.E. Wethey, The paintings of Titian, vol. II, The Portraits, London 1971, p. 81, cat. no. 12, reproduced plates 93 and 94.