Andrea Odoni, 1527
oil on canvas
The Royal Collection ©1997. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Andrea Odoni, 1527
oil on canvas
The Royal Collection ©1997. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
One of the most inventive of Lotto's portraits, Andrea Odoni may be a deliberate challenge to Titian's supremacy in the field of portraiture. Odoni was a merchant and art collector, whom Lotto presented as a man of wealth and taste, surrounded by works of classical sculpture. He owned at least one of them, the portrait of the art-loving Roman emperor Hadrian, at lower right. The small crucifix that Odoni clutches to his chest affirms that he is a pious Christian despite his interest in the pagan past.