Portrait of a Young Man (Fortunato Martinengo Cesaresco?)

Moretto's Portrait of a Young Man, possibly Fortunato Martinengo Cesaresco, depicts a member of one of Brescia's most distinguished noble families in the three-quarter portrait format established by Venetian portraiture. Moretto's approach to portraiture was deeply naturalistic — he recorded faces with an almost documentary precision that distinguished him from Titian's more idealizing manner — while his handling of costume details gave sitters social identity through material specificity. The Martinengo family were among Brescia's most important patrons of art and architecture, and if this identification is correct, the work documents Moretto's relationship with the city's noble elite.

The full-length format and neutral background anticipate the Spanish court portrait tradition, with Moretto's characteristic silvery tonality and meticulous attention to costume details.