(Cremona 1525–1587)
Portrait of a man,
oil on panel, 53 x 41.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
art market, London, circa 1983;
where acquired by the father of the present owner

Literature:
E. Ghetti, D. Benati (eds.), Massimo Turchi. La collezione, Turin 2019, p. 152, no. 86, illustrated p. 153 (as Antonio Campi)

The present work has been attributed to the production of Antonio Campi by Enrico Ghetti who emphasises the marked psychological characterisation as well as the attention given to the natural and anatomical detailing in the present work which are comparable to other portraits by the artist (see literature).

The authority of the sitter is indicated by his deep-set dark eyes and white beard which contrast with the grey tones used for his clothing and the background. His face is lit from the left and is tinged with pinkish tones.

Antonio Campi was born in Cremona in 1525 into a family of artists who enjoyed a certain local fame: both his father Galeazzo and his brothers, Giulio and Vincenzo, were painters. Antonio was certainly the most versatile and restless, he devoted himself to painting and architecture, but he was also a historian and cartographer: in addition to a detailed map of Cremona, he published the text Cremona Fedelissima, which provided an historical reconstruction of the city from its origins to the 16th century.

The turning point in the development of his oeuvre came in the 1560s, when he moved to Milan, together with his brother Giulio. Here, he enjoyed the greatest success of his career, becoming one of the main protagonists in the transition towards naturalism in Lombardy.