Portrait of doge Francesco Erizzo

Portrait of Doge Francesco Erizzo, in the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice, depicts one of the most powerful figures in the Venetian Republic's government — the doge was the republic's ceremonial head of state, elected for life by the patrician class. Francesco Erizzo served as Doge of Venice from 1631 to 1646, placing this portrait in the first half of Strozzi's Venetian period. The doge's distinctive ceremonial costume — the corno ducale, the distinctive pointed cap, and richly decorated robes — imposed a specific iconographic challenge on the portrait painter: how to give individual character to a figure defined by collective office. Strozzi's success in securing this commission shows his standing in Venetian society; the work joins a tradition of doge portraits stretching back to Giovanni Bellini.

Canvas with the challenge of depicting ceremonial costume — gold brocade, richly embroidered robes — alongside the individual face. Strozzi manages the competition between material splendour and personal presence by giving the face a warm, individual modelling that holds its own against the sartorial display. The corno ducale imposes a distinctive silhouette on the composition.