Portrait of a Man

Portrait of a Man (c. 1555), now in the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, is a fine example of Veronese's approach to male portraiture during his early years in Venice. The unidentified sitter is presented with quiet dignity, his dark costume set against a neutral background that concentrates attention on the face. Veronese's portraits from this period show the influence of both Titian's psychological depth and the Brescian portrait tradition of Moretto and Moroni. While Veronese would become famous for his grand decorative ensembles, works like this reveal his capacity for restrained, penetrating characterization when working in a more intimate format.

The portrait displays Veronese's characteristic clarity of form and coolly elegant palette. The sitter's costume is rendered with attention to textile textures, while the background remains deliberately simple to focus attention on the figure.