Tuscan Artist, Portrait of Niccolò Orsini, Count of Pitigliano, 16th Century, Oil on Canvas, Framed

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Tuscan painter active towards the end of the 16th century
Portrait of Captain Niccolò Orsini (Pitigliano, 1442 – Lonigo, 1510), … Read more Tuscan painter active towards the end of the 16th century
Portrait of Captain Niccolò Orsini (Pitigliano, 1442 – Lonigo, 1510), Count of Pitigliano and Nola.

Tuscany, late 16th century
Oil on canvas, 64 x 47 cm, framed 89 x 73 cm.

The portrait we present shows the effigy of a vigorous, high-ranking male figure in armor, in the most typical Renaissance pose, half-length and in profile, with his face and gaze turned to the side. The serious, intense expression and facial features immediately evoke early Florentine Mannerist portraiture.
This is Niccolò III Orsini (Pitigliano, 1442 – Lonigo, 1510), Count of Pitigliano and Nola and son of Aldobrandino Orsini, a famous condottiero and mercenary captain who lived between the 15th and 16th centuries, serving the Papal States in Naples and Florence and, above all, the Republic of Venice.
Portraiture with these characteristics, which derive from ancient coinage, was used in the 16th century in the series of Portraits of Illustrious Men, both in painting and sculpture. The profile portrait was, in fact, a genre reserved, according to Renaissance tradition, for celebrations, displaying the imperturbable characteristics typical of the military role held.
Our painting is a work by an artist active in Tuscany in the late sixteenth century, adhering to the pictorial styles made famous by the portraitist Cristofano di Papi dell'Altissimo (1530-1605), a pupil of Bronzino and later of Pontormo. He is known for creating a collection of approximately 500 portraits of illustrious men, known as the "Jovian Series" (now in the Uffizi Gallery). Among these, one can identify one dedicated to Niccolò Orsini.
Our painting draws inspiration, in particular, from a print from Aliprando Caprioli's collection of prints, "Portraits of One Hundred Illustrious Captains" (Rome, 1596).
The work, like all our objects, is sold with a photographic expertise and descriptive sheet (FIMA Italia).
Portrait of Niccolò Orsini di Pitigliano (Pitigliano, 1442 – Lonigo, 1510), from an engraving by Aliprando Caprioli, "Portraits of One Hundred Illustrious Captains" (Rome, 1596)
Niccol di Pitigliano This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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