Marcello Sacchetti

This painting by Pietro da Cortona portrait of Marquis Marcello Sacchetti around 1626. Sacchetti was the artist's first patron in Rome, the man who launched his career. According to Cortona's biographers, a gifted copy of Raphael's Galatea fresco brought the young artist to the wealthy Florentine's attention.

The portrait was painted as a companion piece to one of Marcello's brother, Cardinal Giulio Sacchetti. Both share similar dimensions and compositional approach. A 1630 payment document records that Cortona received payment for ten portraits of the Sacchetti family, including this one. The silk handkerchief Marcello holds and the table visible in the composition hint at his interest in antiquities.

The oil on canvas measures 133 x 98 cm and hangs at the Borghese Gallery in Rome. The painting entered the Borghese collection in the early 19th century via the dealer Pietro Camuccini. In 2016, the companion portrait of Giulio, long held by the Sacchetti family, was donated to the gallery, reuniting the pair after four centuries.