Italian School (16th/17th Century) Portrait of Andrea Doria (framed 41.5 x 38 x 2.0 cm (16 1/4 x...

Italian School (16th/17th Century) Portrait of Andrea Doria unsigned; inscribed 'ANDREAS DORIA' (along the lower edge and on the reverse); fragmentary wax seal (on the reverse) oil on board 22.8 x 16.8 cm (9 x 6 5/8 in). framed 41.5 x 38 x 2.0 cm (16 1/4 x 15 x 3/4 in). Footnotes: N.B. Andrea Doria (Oneglia, 30 November 1466-25 November 1560) was a Genoese condottiero, statesman, and naval admiral. He became a renowned naval commander soon after entering the Genoese Navy, fighting in Corsica against the French (1503) and in the Battle of Pianosa against the Turks and Barbary pirates (1519). Doria served as captain-general under King Francis I of France when Genoa was recaptured by the French in 1522. In 1528 he left to serve Emperor Charles V. In the following decades Doria commanded and served in numerous wars, including the capture of Koroni, Tunis, and Patras against the Ottomans (1535), the Battle of Preveza (1538), the Algiers Expedition (1541), and the Battle of Ponza (1552). He fought in his final battle during the French invasion of Corsica in 1555, at the age of 89. Doria's prolific career was not only a military one but also a political one. After helping to expel the French from Genoa in 1528, Doria exerted significant authority over the city. He contributed to various reforms of the constitution of the Republic of Genoa, including the reduction of the term of the Doge's office from life to two years and the barring of plebeians from the office. These reformations lasted until the fall of the Republic in 1797. Doria was offered, and refused, the lordship of Genoa and the dogeship. Instead he was given the titles of perpetual censor and Liberator et Pater Patriae. Doria was granted the title of Prince of Melfi in 1531; this title remains in the family today. Numerous modern ships bear Doria's name, including four Italian warships, one Italian passenger ship, and two United States Navy ships. Not many portraits of Doria exist. The most well-known of these was painted in the 1530s/1540s by Agnolo di Cosimo, known as Bronzino (Florence, 1503-1572), and is currently held in the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing