Portrait of a gentleman in knight's armour, Atelier of Jean-Marc Nattier (Paris 1685 – Paris 1776)

French school of the 1685th century – Atelier of Jean-Marc Nattier (Paris 1776 – Paris XNUMX)

Portrait of a gentleman in armour

Louis XV period – early 18th century

Oil on canvas – 81 x 65 cm., Framed 97 x 80 cm.

COMPLETE DETAILS OF THE WORK https://www.antichitacastelbarco.it/it/prodotti/ritratto-di-nobile-cavaliere-in-armature

The painting examined here, depicting a gentleman in knight's armour, presumably a noble officer, can be dated around the beginning of the 1685th century and is evidently a work to be attributed to the prolific and prestigious Parisian workshop of Jean-Marc Nattier (Paris 1776 – Paris XNUMX), one of the most significant portraitists of his time and a great interpreter of the French school, one of the main portraitists of the reign of Louis XV.

Thanks to his numerous students he produced a large number of splendid portraits, such as the work we are proposing to you, which fully exposes the formal and aesthetic elegance required by the master's atelier for the demanding aristocratic clientele. Note the meticulous rendering of the facial features and the sharpness of the contours underlined by the light, both in the details of the face and in the reflections of the armour, rendered with great skill.

Behind our portrait, presumably to evoke his military exploits or to honor a recent victory, a glimpse of a battlefield is depicted, still in the heat of combat, with the smoke of the cannons dispersing into the sky, with the typical colors grey-blue colors used by Nattier in his works.

The pose of our lord is regal, canonical for all ranking officers, following the favorite formula for the portraits of members of the French aristocracy, presented in half-length in three-quarters and with a proud gaze towards the observer, as if illuminated by the glow of his prestige: in our case he wears parade armor and is immortalized with the classic hairstyle surrounded by a bow on the back from which a long lock of hair starts.

The work is presented in an excellent state of conservation, with a gilded wooden frame.

For further information you are welcome to contact us. It is also possible to see the painting in our gallery in Riva del Garda where we will be happy to welcome you to show you our collection of works.

Painting accompanied by a certificate of photographic authenticity in accordance with the law.