|
 |
Anonymous Painter, active in Madrid around
1800
Portait of a Young Artist as Draftsman
Oil on panel (nutwood), ca. 370 x 266 mm, verso: coated with white
stuff.
Condition:
Three minor touch-ups in the area of the trousers and background.
Protection and regenaration of the original varnish.
Provenance: Private Collection Berlin
The young artist is seated at a table, turning round to look at the
spectator, presenting in his left hand a drawing. His right hand is
resting on a partly opened folder of drawings (itself resting on the
table) and holds the typical instrument of the draftsman, the
porte-crayon. He wears breeches, a black-and-green striped waistcoat,
a pale green coat and prominently sports a golden earring in his
right ear.
The identity of both painter and sitter have not yet been
established, it might well turn out to be a selfportrait. Costume
and style suggest an artist resident in Madrid in the years around
1800, and there are similarities to the selfportraits by Zacharias
Gonzales Velazquez (1763 Madrid 1834) in the Louvre in Paris and by
Luis Paret y Alcázar (1745 Madrid 1799) in the Prado in Madrid. In
the general outlook there still seem to be traces of the influence of
Anton Raphael Mengs (Aussig 1728 - 1779 Madrid), who had worked and
lived in Madrid from 1763 to 1834 most notably in the dark, earthy
colours for the backdrop of portraits. |
