Portrait of a Knight of Malta (Scipione Papafava?)
Technical Details
-
Title
Portrait of a Knight of Malta (Scipione Papafava?) -
Author
Bernardo Strozzi -
Year
c. 1629 (?) -
Dimensions
cm 129 x 98 -
Inventory
5639 -
Room
XXXII
The knight, portrayed in a three-quarter pose sporting the white eight-pointed cross of the Knights of Malta and carrying the red baton of a Marshal of the Order, may be the Paduan nobleman Scipione Papafava, the prior of Messina. His complexion, his ruddy cheeks and nose, the way he stands out against a dark background, the beauty of his lace and the thick brush strokes are all reminiscent of Rubens, while his academic formality may have been influenced by the presence in Genoa of Sir Anthony van Dyck.