Portret van generaal Vittorio Pisani 1735 - 1800

This is Giovanni Cattini’s portrait of General Vittorio Pisani. The print uses precise linework to capture the likeness of Pisani within a framed oval. The general’s face, framed by a neatly trimmed beard and hair, exhibits a calm, almost detached expression. Clad in detailed armor, Pisani's figure suggests strength and authority, which is set against the soft gradations of tone achieved through delicate hatching. Consider how the artist uses the formal structure of the portrait—the balance between the figure and the frame—to evoke a sense of classical heroism. The oval frame and the stone plinth create a structured space that contains the general, presenting him as a figure both powerful and contained. This interplay between containment and presence encapsulates the complex semiotics of power in eighteenth-century portraiture. The portrait invites us to contemplate how an artwork can simultaneously celebrate and scrutinize the figures of authority it represents.