Tintoretto’s ‘Procurator Jacopo Soranzo’ at the Accademia Galleries in Venice

Tintoretto (1518 – 31 May 1594) – “Portrait of Procurator Jacopo Soranzo”

Painting – Oil on canvas (106 x 90 cm) 1550–1551

This portrait of the Procurator Jacopo Soranzo depicts a determined man who clearly possesses a certain strength of character, capable of making all the decisions required by his office.

Tintoretto, Portrait of the Procurator Jacopo Soranzo, at the Accademia Galleries in Venice, Italy

Procurator Soranzo Tintoretto painted a portrait of an haughty old man, proud of his position.

And with good reason, since the procurators of St. Mark held a rank immediately below that of the Doge.

His thick purple-coloured garment is trimmed with fur, probably ermine.

In the background, behind the half-open curtains one can glimpse a façade reminiscent of the Doge's Palace, but which appears more likely to be that of the Procuraties.

The Procurators of St. Mark enjoyed lifetime use of an apartment in the Procuraties Nuove on St. Mark’s Square.

The Procurators of St. Mark bore the honorary title of ‘Missier’, whilst the other patricians were entitled only to the title of ‘Ser’.

Procurator Soranzo