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.
From April 15, on the occasion of Design Week, the rooms of the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana will host 'Moleskine Detour', an international exhibition promoted by Moleskine and the Moleskine Foundation.
From 19 to 23 April, on the occasion of the Salone del Mobile, the Ambrosiana will host the exhibition "Nice To See You" by Gaetano Pesce.
Recovery of the functionality of the balconies of the Sala Federiciana, Borromeo and della Rosa through the installation of lifelines
Every Saturday at 15.30 a guided tour of the masterpieces of the Pinacoteca, together with professional guides of our official partner AdArtem
