Artwork
Portrait of Agostino Barbarigo
Portrait of Agostino Barbarigo is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Paolo Veronese. It dates from 1571 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Paolo Veronese painted Agostino Barbarigo in oil in 1571, posed as commanders of the day often were. Barbarigo, then a military commander, holds a baton marking his rank. The museum acquired the portrait in 1928 from the collector Italico Brass.
Subject & Meaning
The arrow functions as a post‑humous symbol of the wound that caused his death, and the red cloth alludes to the bloodshed and his martyrdom.
The painting shows Agostino Barbarigo, a Venetian admiral who died from an arrow at the 1571 Battle of Lepanto. He is rendered in contemporary armor, a baton in one hand and a dart/arrow in the other, while a red drapery hangs behind him. The arrow functions as a post‑humous symbol of the wound that caused his death, and the red cloth alludes to the bloodshed and his martyrdom.
Together these elements convey both his military authority and the tragic circumstances of his demise, turning the portrait into a commemoration of his heroic yet fatal role in the naval conflict.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on canvas in 1571, the portrait is a half-length depiction of Agostino Barbarigo in armor, holding a baton and a symbolic arrow. The composition is set against a deep red drapery that frames the sitter’s thoughtful pose. Veronese’s handling emphasizes smooth modeling of the face and metallic textures of the armor, while the restrained palette and controlled lighting focus attention on the subject’s dignified expression.
The canvas’s square format and the sitter’s direct gaze exemplify Mannerist portrait conventions, balancing naturalism with idealized grandeur.
History & Provenance
Paolo Veronese executed the Portrait of Agostino Barbarigo between 1571 and 1572. The work depicts the Venetian admiral Agostino Barbarigo, who died from an arrow wound at the Battle of Lepanto; this fatal event is symbolically referenced by the dart held by the subject in the composition. Following its creation, the painting entered the collection of Italico Brass.
In 1928, the Cleveland Museum of Art acquired the canvas from Brass, where it has remained housed since. The portrait is an oil on canvas featuring the admiral in armor against a red drapery background.
The Portrait of Agostino Barbarigo by Paolo Veronese is held in the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio. According to the museum's records, the painting carries the accession number 1928.16, reflecting its acquisition in 1928. That year the institution purchased the canvas from Italico Brass.
No prior exhibition history is documented in the available sources, and the work has remained in the Cleveland Museum of Art's collection since its 1928 purchase.
Overview
Paolo Veronese's oil painting, Portrait of Agostino Barbarigo, dates from 1571-1572. This work depicts the Venetian admiral Agostino Barbarigo and is rendered in oil on canvas. The Cleveland Museum of Art acquired the portrait in 1928, where it remains part of its collection. It captures a figure of military importance from the period, shortly before his notable death in battle.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Paolo Caliari (1528 – 19 April 1588), known as Paolo Veronese ( VERR-ə-NAY-zay, -zee, US also -see; Italian: ), was an Italian Renaissance painter based in Venice, known for extremely large history paintings of…
