Brother Gregorio Belo of Vicenza1547
Brother Gregorio Belo, a friar of the Hieronymite order, holds a book in one hand and strikes his chest with the other in a gesture of penitence, while behind him a small scene of the Crucifixion appears in a landscape, as if conjured by his meditation. More about this work
About this work
Brother Gregorio Belo, a friar of the Hieronymite order, holds a book in one hand and strikes his chest with the other in a gesture of penitence, while behind him a small scene of the Crucifixion appears in a landscape, as if conjured by his meditation. Lorenzo Lotto, a Venetian painter of restless originality, painted the portrait in 1547, late in a wandering career spent largely outside Venice, and an inscription records the sitter’s identity. The coarse habit, the intense gaze and the visionary background make it one of the most searching religious portraits of the Renaissance.
Written by Ochre Editions.
How it was made
- Oil paint
- Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.
Lorenzo Lotto
Italian, 1475–1556 · Born in Venice; died in Loreto.
Lotto was born in Venice but spent much of his restless career elsewhere: in Treviso, Bergamo and the towns of the Marches, with a stay in Rome. Away from the shadow of Titian, he developed an intensely individual style, with sharp colour, unconventional compositions and portraits of unusual psychological depth. His surviving account book records his often precarious finances. He ended his life as an oblate at the shrine of the Holy House at Loreto.
Written by Ochre Editions.
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The Met has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 65.117
- Credit
- Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Type
- Paintings
- Department
- European Paintings
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
