Büste eines venezianischen Patriziers

Due to the work of Alessandro Vittoria, the genre of the portrait bust flourished also in Venice from the mid-16th century onwards; this despite the special political order of the city that had avoided any cult of the individual and so long hindered any such development. The model created by Vittoria with its expansive bust, modern dress and dignified full beard soon became the established model, finding constant imitation.