Portrait of Agostino Barbarigo, after 1571 (oil on canvas)

Agostino Barbarigo (1518-71) was a member of a prominent Venetian family and second in command of the Venetian naval forces during the Battle of Lepanto against the Turks (October 7, 1571). During that battle, Barbarigo was killed by a Turkish arrow, which he holds in the portrait. In the 1500s, Venetian military portraits often portrayed the sitter in armour in a pose typical of a Roman emperor. Barbarigo wears the field armour of a military commander with red velvet and gilt edges. The lion mask appliqués are probably a reference to the Venetian Republic (symbolized by the lion of Saint Mark).