Lorenzo Lotto, having returned to Venice in…
1527 CE
Lorenzo Lotto, having returned to Venice in 1525, produces such highly original works as his Portrait of Andrea Odoni in 1527 (which has the appearance of a much later Mannerist painting.)
The style is typical of Lotto's Venetian period, with denser tones, a softer chromatic range and atmospheric effects at the boundaries.
The horizontal format, which Lotto had already experimented for portraits of couples, in this case was adopted also for a single subject, a Humanist portrayed among his collection of antique marbles.
It has been however supposed that the pieces shown were not real, but, more likely, have a symbolic role alluding to the nature and the virtues of the subject.
The man sits next to a table, with a rich fur-lined jacket, and holds a statuette, which perhaps portrays a Diana of Ephesus.
The hands touching the chest is a sentimental theme typical of Lotto's works.
The table has also a book and some ancient coins.