Portrait of a Young Man, possibly G. Pesaro

This Portrait of a Young Man, possibly Gerolamo Pesaro, by Tintoretto, held in the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, dates to around 1556 and exemplifies his approach to portraiture of Venice's young patrician class. The Pesaro were a prominent Venetian noble family, famously depicted by Titian in his great Pesaro Madonna in the Frari church. Tintoretto's portrait captures the youth with characteristic directness and psychological intensity, presenting the sitter with the confident bearing expected of a member of Venice's ruling aristocracy.

The portrait is rendered with Tintoretto's characteristic speed and energy, the features modeled with confident, decisive brushstrokes that capture the sitter's youthful vitality. The dark background and dramatic lighting focus attention on the face, while the rich but restrained palette demonstrates the artist's ability to convey aristocratic elegance without Titian's more sumptuous colorism.