MORETTO da Brescia
(b. ca. 1498, Brescia, d. 1554, Brescia)

Female portraits in front of landscapes

1543-46
Fresco
Palazzo Martinengo-Salvadego, Brescia

It is probable that the eight female figures depicted in the room are portraits of wives and daughters from the many branches of the Martinengo family. Even if it is no longer possible to identify the sitters precisely, it is clear that the patron was primarily seeking to create a kind of "gallery of beauties."

It is worth noting that in a list of beautiful women in the various cities of Italy, published in 1552, Brescia had the largest number of female beauties, and the women of the Martinengo family occupy first place: in addition to the family's two daughters, there were eight ladies married to members of this house.