LOTTO, Lorenzo
(b. ca. 1480, Venezia, d. 1556, Loreto)

Portrait of a Man with a Felt Hat

1541
Oil on paper mounted to paperboard and lined, 58 x 47 cm
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa

The portrait depicts a man of a rather modest social standing, dressed simply, his gaze introspective, seen from up close and against a neutral background. Aside from the soft, wide-brimmed felt hat, the sitter possesses no other attribute. He could be an estate manager or other administrator on a farm.