Francesco Donato, ambassador to Spain (1504), England (1509) and Florence (1512), maintained Venice’s neutrality in the war between Charles V and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, and contributed to the peace treaty with Soliman. Elected Doge at the age of 77, he remained in office until his death in 1553. The identification of the sitter is based on the existence of two versions of the portrait: in 1553, the Council Chamber commissioned Titian to paint a portrait of this prominent figure in Venetian public life; however, it was destroyed in 1577. The version in the Kunsthall in Bremen was lost during the Second World War. Another version with similar features is preserved in the Fine Arts Gallery in San Diego.

This portrait, characterised by chromatic ranges, subtle glazes, and a looser execution, is a smaller version of the canvas attributed to Tintoretto in the Kunsthistorisches in Vienna (no. 3062), which is indicative of the style of David Teniers. The original attributed to Tintoretto served as a model for Teniers. It is one of the replicas of the originals preserved in the collection of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm. Teniers’s ability to follow the style of the Venetian masters makes it possible to differentiate this copy from other similar works of the 16th and 17th-century schools in the cabinets that include this portrait. He subtly captures the textures of the fabric, the density of the fur and the flesh, as well as the haziness of the air in the view of Venice on the horizon. The golden tone, as well as the affectionate and exhaustive execution, are largely due to the influence of Rubens, which is accentuated around 1640 and is recognisable in the light sources and in the direct and unmodified touches.

Museo del Prado, Últimas adquisiciones: 1982-1995, Madrid, Museo del Prado, 1995, p.85