The Renaissance Portrait

At the end of the sixteenth century, the Bolognese artist Agostino Carracci engraved a portrait of Giovanni Gabrielli, known as “il Sivello.” In the proof, the head of the celebrated actor is completed, though the torso is only tentatively sketched. A shadow conceals half Gabrielli’s face in darkness as he looks out across the parapet toward the viewer; he holds a mask that faces away from his body, an attribute of his profession, and also a reference to his reputation as an actor who could play all the characters of a cast single-handedly. Were he hidden from view, a contemporary reported, the audience would believe there to be “a group of six persons of differing speech, voice, age and condition.” ¹ In the completed engraving, Agostino reversed the direction of the mask, its smooth surface and gaping eye-socket evoking a skull (Figure 23.1). Transformed into a vanitas, and gesturing, through the bust-length format and inscription below, to ancient funerary monuments, the engraving is a reflection on conventions at the heart of Renaissance portraiture. Turned to face the sitter, the mask seems to question his identity, and thus motivate his inquisitive turn toward the viewer. The engraving not only conveys il Sivello’s skill as a simulator but also suggests that portraits, like people, could be deceptive.