Portrait of the Sculptor Alessandro Vittoria

Giovanni Battista Moroni painted this innovative portrait of sculptor Alessandro Vittoria in 1551-1552. Unlike typical Renaissance portraits that concealed artists' manual labor, this work shows Vittoria in his work clothes with sleeves rolled up, holding an ancient nude torso. His muscular, veined forearm is prominently displayed.

The two artists likely met in Trento during the famous Council. Moroni was there painting ecclesiastical dignitaries while Vittoria was establishing his sculpting career. This may be the only Renaissance portrait that emphasizes the nobility of manual labor. The painting influenced Titian's later portrait of Jacopo Strada. After Vittoria's death in 1608, it passed through collections before reaching the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.