CC0 · no rights reserved
Portrait of Agostino Barbarigo
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Barbarigo served as second in command of the Venetian naval forces during the Battle of Lepanto, fighting against the Ottoman Empire on October 7, 1571. During the skirmish, Barbarigo was slain by a Turkish arrow, which he holds in the portrait. Barbarigo’s identity is defined by his military prowess. In the 1500s, Venetian military portraits often portrayed the sitter in armor in a pose typical of a Roman emperor, creating a link to the valor and might of ancient armies.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit linePortrait of Agostino Barbarigo, after c. 1571. Paolo Veronese (Italian, 1528–1588). Oil on canvas; framed: 136.2 x 136.2 x 12.1 cm (53 5/8 x 53 5/8 x 4 3/4 in.); unframed: 102.2 x 104.2 cm (40 1/4 x 41 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. L. E. Holden, Mr. and Mrs. Guerdon S. Holden, and the L. E. Holden Fund, 1928.16
