Giovan Battista Moroni was one of the greatest portrait painters of the sixteenth century, as this beautiful painting shows. On the stone fragment at the bottom right, there is an inscription in Roman numerals, indicating the year when the painter finished this portrait: 1554. It represents a gentleman, full-length, leaning against the base of a column, which bears a sentence taken from the Odes of Horace: “The ruins will strike him fearlessly”. Thanks to this motto, it is possible to identify the portrayed character: he is Michel de l’Hospital, representative of the King of France at the Council of Trent, who had chosen this Horatian quote as his motto. Moroni loved to portray his subjects by contextualising them in elements that defined their personality, which is why the French nobleman is portrayed among ruins, with reference to his heraldic enterprise. Noteworthy is also the painter’s great attention to detail: from the character’s dress to the subtle play of shadows.
Every Saturday at 15.30 a guided tour of the masterpieces of the Pinacoteca, together with professional guides of our official partner AdArtem
Opening hours of the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana and of the San Sepolcro Crypt for the upcoming holidays
From April 6 to May 9 2023 the Crypt of San Sepolcro hosts the exhibition “Oliviero Rainaldi. 2023 AD”, an exhibition that traces the life of Christ in five episodes, birth, infancy, martyrdom, death and resurrection.
The Archbishop of Milan, His Excellency Mons. Mario Delpini, has appointed Msgr. Marco Maria Navoni Prefect of the College of Fellows of the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana with effect from 27 February 2023.
Rooms 2 and 3, the exhibition is the first in a series dedicated to showing us what is not normally displayed, for a wider enhancement of the Institution's heritage.
Crypt of San Sepolcro open until April 2 2023, every Saturday and Sunday from 11.00 to 17.30 | last access 17.00
