Portrait of Cardinal Ludovico Trevisan

As known to many, Andrea Mantegna is an authority in painting. Among the very famous works that were done by this guru is the Portrait of Cardinal Ludovico Trevisan.

This piece of art goes a long way in the Renaissance that brought about an individual’s rediscovery. This was the premise on which Renaissance Italy hosted the initial age of portraiture in the whole of Europe. Portraiture was meant to perform various roles in life. Some of such roles were recording of family members and their features or celebration of a warrior or a prince. This record was preserved for future generations to access.

The usefulness of such information and data was handy in the fifteenth century in Italy. A perfect description of such painting is Andrea Mantegna’s Portrait of Cardinal Ludovico Trevisan. The Portrait of Cardinal Ludovico Trevisan is very appealing to the eye since it has all the attributes of the real Cardinal. Looking at the Portrait of Ludovico Trevisan gives you the taste of what he looked like. This painting was done with a keen adherence to the ancient Roman busts. The portrait of Cardinal Trevisani has forceful features that seem like the real Cardinal in person.

The Portrait of Cardinal Ludovico Trevisan portrays the cardinal's upper part of the body. This is like three-quarters of him. A careful observation will make you notice that there is a dark background over which this is done. The cardinal is portrayed over a dark background that has reasonable effects of chiaroscuro that are useful in enhancing the overall volume of the portrait.

The Cardinal is portrayed with a both concentrated and a serious glance complimenting the closed lips that silently speaks of the real character of the man. It is to be noted that the Cardinal was a war leader, a politician, and a diplomat. These attributes of the Cardinal were mildly taken care of by Mantegna in The Portrait of Cardinal Ludovico Trevisan from the details of the face in the painting. The royal apparel that the Cardinal is seen in compliments all these, indicating the Cardinal’s high social standing.

The Portrait of Cardinal Ludovico Trevisan was owned by a one Francesco Leone who hailed from Padua. The commissioning of this portrait was attributed to Mantegna in Padua. This was just before he could establish himself as a painter in Mantua.