This enchanting late 18th-century French portrait depicts a debonair gentleman wearing a dark green coat, white necktie, and black cloak.
Produced during a time of unparalleled political unrest in France, there’s a certain air of intrigue surrounding this piece from circa 1795. It reminds us in several ways of Jacques-Louis David’s (1748-1825) self-portrait from 1794, which he undertook while imprisoned for his revolutionary views. There’s a shared intensity in the eyes coupled with an underlying sense of restlessness. It’s also plausibly a self-portrait with the artist working from his reflection.
The cloak is a particularly interesting addition as it’s worn over the left shoulder only and could be seen as conveying a symbolic reference. Is he metaphorically concealing his subversive ideologies? Or is it simply an aesthetic tool to increase visual interest?
“The questioning spirit is the rebellious spirit. A rebellion is always either a cloak to hide a prince or the swaddling wrapper of a new rule.” Honoré de Balzac (1799- 1850).
The portrait is signed indistinctly on the right and held in a splendid gilt frame, which is probably original.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 23½” x 27” / 60cm x 69cm
Year of creation: c. 1795
Provenance: Private collection, Germany.
Condition: Cleaned. Canvas relined. Areas of fine and settled craquelure, as you would expect. The paint layer is stable. Frame with various marks and showing its age.
Our reference: BRV1975
Antique Number: SA1110885
Dateline of this antique is 18th Century
Height is 69cm (27.2inches)
Width is 60cm (23.6inches)
Depth is 5cm (2.0inches)
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