Pietro Ottoboni was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the Church and became a Cardinal following his great-uncle’s election as Pope Alexander VIII in 1689. The offices and rich benefices bestowed upon Ottoboni provided him with a generous income that he spent on lavish banquets and celebrations of religious holidays. He appointed Domenico Paradisi to renovate his official residence in Rome, the Palazzo della Cancelleria, and collected paintings, tapestries and sculpture to adorn it. Ottoboni became the most important patron of the arts in Rome supporting writers, painters and musicians including Handel. In this portrait Ottoboni wears a scarlet, watered-silk mozetta over his fringed rochet which has a deep flounce of Venetian needlepoint lace. Francesco Trevisani subtly captures the difference in the textures and hues of the fabrics.