In Roman numerals on the fragment of stone at the bottom right we see the date when Giovan Battista Moroni finished this portrait: 1554. It shows a gentleman, full-length, leaning on the plinth of a column, on which we see a Latin phrase taken from Horace: Impavidum ferient ruinae (“Ruins would strike him undismayed”). This motto has made it possible to make a hypothesis about the identity of the sitter: it might be Michel de l’Hospital, the representative of the King of France at the Tridentine Council (1547-1548), who did indeed use this phrase from Horace as his own personal motto, even though it was fairly common in sixteenth-century France. The painting is remarkable for its attention to detail, from the sitter’s garments through to the subtle play of shadows.
Opening hours and initiatives from December 7 to 10
From Novembre 23 on display in the Pinacoteca, room 1
Visit the Pinacoteca and Crypt with YesMilano City pass, the Official Pass for the city of Milan with public transport included.
From 12 October 2023, rooms 2 and 3 of the Pinacoteca, exhibition included in the entrance ticket to the museum.
Every Saturday at 15.30 a guided tour of the masterpieces of the Pinacoteca, together with professional guides of our official partner AdArtem
