Portrait of Procurator Jacopo Soranzo

Gravity, dignity, and integrity radiate from this portrait, which is very restrained in both colour and setting. Old Soranzo’s white hair matches the fur trimming of his robe of office in both tone and artistic technique: marks of age and the insignia of power are closely connected in the gerontocracy of the Venetians. As the dominating element in the composition, the taut fur trimming continues the line of the strong-willed furrow between the brows. This feature makes the impressively upright bearing of the old procurator visible to the viewer even from some distance away.