Daniele Barbaro was a leading scholar of Aristotelian physics. He is shown in the ecclesiastical garments of a patriarch. Next to him is his translation of the treatise on architecture by the ancient Roman Vitruvius. The book was published in 1556 with illustrations by the renowned architect Palladio. The latter frequently collaborated with Veronese, the painter of this portrait, notably on Barbaro’s villa at Maser.