Portrait of Bishop Bernardo de’ Rossi

Portrait of Bishop Bernardo de’ Rossi

Lorenzo Lotto was commissioned to create a portrait for the Bishop Bernardo de’ Rossi that showed his elegance and status. Lorenzo Lotto, born in Venice in 1480, learned how to paint with the Murano school, as Henry S. Francis points out, working on modernizing portrait painting [1]. He mainly worked in smaller towns, not gaining much popularity with other rivaling artists such as Titian and Bellini dominating the Venetian art scene. On his trip to Treviso, he came in contact with the Bishop who supported his talents and commissioned many paintings [2]. 

In the Portrait of Bishop Bernardo de’ Rossi, we see de’ Rossi facing the viewer with his body on the diagonal. The central figure looks straight out at the audience, trying to make eye contact. In turn, this creates the feeling that the Bishop is commanding the attention in the room as he gazes out to the viewer. Lotto details his facial features in a way that showcases dominance and power, but restrained. His nostrils are flared and his lips are closed, not smiling at all, highlighting Bernardo de’ Rossi’s seriousness. He wears a red coat over his clothes beneath. Red is a color that signifies aggression and power. However, Lotto details the Bishop in a lighter and duller shade of red, not overpowering the painting. This shows the restraint in energy seen in the religious figure, as he is stern and aggressive yet not overbearing. He composes the man in front of a dark green curtain. The simplicity of this background serves to make the viewer pay all of their attention to the Bishop, rather than looking past him. In addition, de' Rossi is the source of light in the painting, drawing all possible attention towards him. In his hand, the Bishop holds a rolled-up piece of paper tightly, showcasing his ring which is a symbol of his wealth and power.

Lotto strived to capture the inner thoughts and emotions of his subjects, going past surface level depictions. He details every bit of the Bishop’s imperfections. He paints the eye bags, the wrinkles on the skin, even including pieces of curly hair falling out of his black cap. This is Lotto’s way of going past the strict and aggressive side of the religious figure and focusing more on his flaws, humanizing him. Lotto dives deeper into the mind of de’ Rossi, going beyond the Bishop's desire to portray himself as a stern and powerful man to others. As Margaret Morse says, the commissioners of portraits at the time wanted to highlight their status and fame [3]. Nevertheless, Lotto goes past the Bishop’s wishes to frame himself as a source of power, painting him more realistically and highlighting his imperfections. The overall purpose of this painting is to depict the Bishop and his true self, showcasing both how he wants others to view himself yet how he is imperfect. The Portrait of Bishop Bernardo de’ Rossi was commissioned to highlight the power and social status of the Bishop, however, Lotto pushes the boundaries, painting a more realistic and non-idealistic depiction. 

[1] Henry S. Francis, "Portraits by Lorenzo Lotto," The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 44, no. 3 (1957): 43

[2] “Lorenzo Lotto. Portraits - Exhibition.” Museo del Prado. Accessed October 6, 2020. https://www.museodelprado.es/en/whats-on/exhibition/lorenzo-lotto-portraits/4efebe6a-ba81-ab76-08b9-83363fb32538?searchMeta=lorenzo.

[3] Margaret A. Morse, "Domestic Portraiture in Early Modern Venice: Devotion to Family and Faith," In Domestic Devotions in Early Modern Italy (LEIDEN; BOSTON: Brill, 2019): 127 

“Lorenzo Lotto. Portraits - Exhibition.” Museo del Prado. Accessed October 6, 2020. https://www.museodelprado.es/en/whats-on/exhibition/lorenzo-lotto-portraits/4efebe6a-ba81-ab76-08b9-83363fb32538?searchMeta=lorenzo.

Lorenzo Lotto. 1505. Portrait of Bishop Bernardo de' Rossi. painting. Place: Museo e gallerie nazionali di Capodimonte. https://library.artstor.org/asset/SCALA_ARCHIVES_1039488106.