Date
1874
Object Type
Painting
Subject
Portrait of Alessandro Manzoni
Holding institution
Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera. On long-term loan and on display at the Galleria d'Arte moderna in Milan, since 1902
About The Work
As his stepson, Stefano Stampa, recalled, Alessandro Manzoni was an intensely private and reserved man. He would only agree to sit for a portrait if it were intended as a gift for family or close friends, and he steadfastly refused to allow any depictions for public display.
In 1841, building on a long-standing friendship and following a failed collaboration with Francesco Hayez to illustrate The Betrothed, the writer finally consented to be painted by the artist. An earlier work by the artist-statesman Massimo d’Azeglio and the portraitist Giuseppe Molteni (1835) had presented a romanticised Manzoni, looking 'inspired' against the backdrop of Lake Como (now in the Biblioteca Braidense, Milan). By contrast, this new portrait, commissioned by his second wife Teresa Borri Stampa, captured the writer in a far more realistic and intimate light. Seeking to evoke the quiet familiarity of his daily life, Teresa and Stefano suggested he pose naturally, holding his snuffbox. The combination of this understated composition and Hayez’s profound psychological insight created what has since become the iconic image of Manzoni.
The year following Manzoni’s death, Hayez decided to present a replica of the portrait to the Brera Academy. Despite creating a faithful copy, Hayez’s commitment to realism led him to acknowledge the passage of time; he subtly aged the writer’s features and introduced strands of grey to his hair. The original version remained in the family’s private collection until 1900, when it was eventually donated by Stefano Stampa to the Brera Academy, before being placed on permanent display at the Pinacoteca in 1907.
In 1841, building on a long-standing friendship and following a failed collaboration with Francesco Hayez to illustrate The Betrothed, the writer finally consented to be painted by the artist. An earlier work by the artist-statesman Massimo d’Azeglio and the portraitist Giuseppe Molteni (1835) had presented a romanticised Manzoni, looking 'inspired' against the backdrop of Lake Como (now in the Biblioteca Braidense, Milan). By contrast, this new portrait, commissioned by his second wife Teresa Borri Stampa, captured the writer in a far more realistic and intimate light. Seeking to evoke the quiet familiarity of his daily life, Teresa and Stefano suggested he pose naturally, holding his snuffbox. The combination of this understated composition and Hayez’s profound psychological insight created what has since become the iconic image of Manzoni.
The year following Manzoni’s death, Hayez decided to present a replica of the portrait to the Brera Academy. Despite creating a faithful copy, Hayez’s commitment to realism led him to acknowledge the passage of time; he subtly aged the writer’s features and introduced strands of grey to his hair. The original version remained in the family’s private collection until 1900, when it was eventually donated by Stefano Stampa to the Brera Academy, before being placed on permanent display at the Pinacoteca in 1907.
Title
Ritratto di Alessandro Manzoni
Creator
Francesco Hayez
Subject
Portrait of Alessandro Manzoni
Object Type
Painting
Original Function
Collection
Date
1874
Technique / Support
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
cm 120 x 92
Acquisition
Gift of Francesco Hayez, 1874
Holding institution
Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera. On long-term loan and on display at the Galleria d'Arte moderna in Milan, since 1902
Inventory number
Reg. 1892, 980
Bibliography
Mazzocca, Fernando. Entry no. 408. In Pinacoteca di Brera. Dipinti dell’Ottocento e del Novecento. Collezioni dell’Accademia e della Pinacoteca, vol. 1, Musei e Gallerie di Milano, edited by Fernando Mazzocca. Milano: Mondadori Electa, 1993. 371, 272 ill;.
Mazzocca, Fernando. Francesco Hayez. Catalogo ragionato. Milano: Federico Motta editore, 1994. No. 393, 362, ill. (with previous bibliography).
Mazzocca, Fernando. Entry no. 60 in Da Canova a Modigliani. Il volto dell’Ottocento, exhibition catalogue (Padova, Palazzo Zabarella, 2 October 2010- 27 February 2011), edited by Francesco Leone, Maria Vittoria Marini Clarelli, Fernando Mazzocca, and Carlo Sisi. Venezia: Marsilio, 2010. 253, 151, ill.
Oldani, Alessandro. Entry no. 82. In Galleria d’Arte Moderna Milano. Le collezioni, edited by Alessandro Oldani and Paola Zatti. Roma: Officina libraria, 2017. 117, ill.
Mazzocca, Fernando. Entry no. 76. In Romanticismo, exhibition catalogue (Milano, Gallerie d’Italia, Piazza Scala; Museo Poldi Pezzoli, 26 October 2018–17 March 2019), edited by Fernando Mazzocca. Cinisello Balsamo (Milano): Silvana Editoriale, 2018. 316–317, ill. 184.
Cucciniello, Omar. Entry no. II.4. In Giuseppe Bezzuoli (1784–1855). Un grande protagonista della pittura romantica, exhibition catalogue (Firenze, Gallerie degli Uffizi, Museo della Moda e del Costume, 29 March–5 June 2022), edited by Vanessa Gavioli, Elena Marconi, and Ettore Spalletti. Firenze: Giunti – Le Gallerie degli Uffizi, 2022. 114, ill. 115.
Finocchiaro, Deborah. Entry no. XXI. in Le donne di casa Manzoni, exhibition catalogue (Lodi, Fondazione Maria Cosway, 15 November 2024–26 January 2025), edited by Monja Faraoni and Luca Marcarini. Milano: Nexo, 2024. 208-209, ill
Mazzocca, Fernando. Francesco Hayez. Catalogo ragionato. Milano: Federico Motta editore, 1994. No. 393, 362, ill. (with previous bibliography).
Mazzocca, Fernando. Entry no. 60 in Da Canova a Modigliani. Il volto dell’Ottocento, exhibition catalogue (Padova, Palazzo Zabarella, 2 October 2010- 27 February 2011), edited by Francesco Leone, Maria Vittoria Marini Clarelli, Fernando Mazzocca, and Carlo Sisi. Venezia: Marsilio, 2010. 253, 151, ill.
Oldani, Alessandro. Entry no. 82. In Galleria d’Arte Moderna Milano. Le collezioni, edited by Alessandro Oldani and Paola Zatti. Roma: Officina libraria, 2017. 117, ill.
Mazzocca, Fernando. Entry no. 76. In Romanticismo, exhibition catalogue (Milano, Gallerie d’Italia, Piazza Scala; Museo Poldi Pezzoli, 26 October 2018–17 March 2019), edited by Fernando Mazzocca. Cinisello Balsamo (Milano): Silvana Editoriale, 2018. 316–317, ill. 184.
Cucciniello, Omar. Entry no. II.4. In Giuseppe Bezzuoli (1784–1855). Un grande protagonista della pittura romantica, exhibition catalogue (Firenze, Gallerie degli Uffizi, Museo della Moda e del Costume, 29 March–5 June 2022), edited by Vanessa Gavioli, Elena Marconi, and Ettore Spalletti. Firenze: Giunti – Le Gallerie degli Uffizi, 2022. 114, ill. 115.
Finocchiaro, Deborah. Entry no. XXI. in Le donne di casa Manzoni, exhibition catalogue (Lodi, Fondazione Maria Cosway, 15 November 2024–26 January 2025), edited by Monja Faraoni and Luca Marcarini. Milano: Nexo, 2024. 208-209, ill
Conservation status
Fair
Unique identifier
0302201005