Tristano Martinelli (actor)

Fragonard, Jean-Honore (attrib) 1732 - 1806

Summary

This portrait of a bearded man, in a dark velvet outfit with a linen collar edged with lace, is related to a three-quarter length portrait of the same sitter by Domenico Fetti in The Hermitage, St Petersburg. The identity of the sitter remains doubtful. Once thought to portray the composer Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), it is now believed to be a portrait of Tristano Martinelli (c. 1557-1630) or perhaps Francesco Andreini (c. 1548-1624). The former was a successful actor in the company of the Duke of Mantua, while the latter joined I Gelosi, the commedia dell'arte company summoned to the French court by Henri IV. The brushwork in particular suggests that this could be a later copy by Fragonard of the 17th century original.