Andrea Gritti appears in three-quarter view, his body turned slightly to the right while his gaze fixes intently to the left, under heavy brows that cast his eyes partly in shadow. He wears the distinctive gold brocade robe of state, its surface alive with swirling patterns and lined with a broad stripe of white fur, fastened at the shoulder with a row of large, gilded buttons. His white beard and hair frame a face marked by a firmly closed mouth and a severe, commanding expression.

The background is dark and plain, setting off the luminous textures and deep reds and golds of the Doge’s garments. Light falls dramatically from the left, catching the gold threads and fur trim, and heightening the sense of volume in the folds of the robe. The brushwork is vigorous and broad, especially in the rendering of the fabric and flesh, where the paint is applied with visible energy, giving the surface a sense of immediacy and presence.

The composition is tightly focused on the upper body, with Gritti’s imposing figure filling the frame and his head nearly touching the top edge. The upper left corner contains an inscription in dark letters against the brown background, identifying the sitter and his title. The lower right corner of the painting shows the artist’s signature, faintly visible against the dark ground.

No secondary figures or objects appear in the composition, and the edges of the robe and hat are softly blended into the shadowy, brown-black background. Titian painted this portrait of Andrea Gritti, Doge of Venice from 1523 to 1538, in the late 1540s, after Gritti’s death. According to the National Gallery of Art, this painting dates from between 1546 and 1550 and is the only surviving portrait of Doge Gritti by Titian.