Portrait of Pope Clement IX (1600-1669)

A painter and etcher, Maratti worked in various genres, but he is most interesting for his portraits. Here we see Maratti continuing Renaissance traditions, and in this portrait of Pope Clement IX the clear, strict composition is complemented by the noble colouring, made up of a combination of dark brown, white and cold shades of pink. The artist creates a marvellous likeness but at the same time softens the features of the subject, bringing his image closer to the ideal. Clement IX (1600-1669), a member of the Rospigliosi family, reigned from 1667 to 1669. In this short space of time the portrait was executed, as we can tell by the signature and date on the sheet of paper in the painting, lying on the table by the bell.

Credit: Entered the Hermitage in 1779; acquired from the R. Walpole collection, Houghton Hall, England