Portrait of an aristocrat in Renaissance attire, Anthonis Moor van Dashorts, known as Antonio Moro (Utrecht 1519 – Antwerp 1576) follower

Anthonis Moor van Dashorts, known as Antonio Moro (Utrecht 1519 – Antwerp 1576) follower

Portrait of an aristocrat in Renaissance attire

Oil on canvas, 46 x 32 cm – 65 x 53 cm (frame)

17th-18th century

Provenance: Isbilya Seville 22 June 2022 (as an Italian painter of the 7.200th century € XNUMX)

The beautiful portrait proposed, depicting a gentleman dressed in Renaissance fashion, is historically and culturally to be placed in the production of the best Flemish portrait school. In particular, the stylistic models from which our skilled author must have drawn are those of the painter Sir Anthonis van Dashorst Mor (1517/ 1576), one of the most influential portraitists of his generation and a great interpreter of the Flemish civilization of the seventeenth century.

Comparisons with some of his works are easy, including the ''Portrait of a Gentleman'' (Christie's London, 24.4.1998, lot 44, https://rkd.nl/images/46840) attributed to Moro and which at first glance would portray our very subject. Also similar in style and composition are the ''Portrait of a Man'' (Lempertz, Cologne 1907-11-18, lot 32, https://rkd.nl/images/52052), the ''Portrait of a Man'' (Mauritshuis, The Hague, https://www.mauritshuis.nl/it/scopri-la-collezione/collezione/559-portrait-of-a-man/) or the ''Portrait of a Man, probably Louis of Nassau'' (National Museum of Art of Catalonia, Barcelona, ​​https://rkd.nl/images/203369) which also has an effigy almost identical to that of our canvas.

Returning to our painting, a remarkable pictorial test in the field of portraiture, it portrays a young man of high social extraction, immortalized according to the most classic Nordic tradition, in three-quarters, with his gaze intensely scrutinizing the viewer. Going into the details, note the meticulous but light rendering of the facial features, the sharpness of the contours underlined by the light and the extraordinary expressive power of the eyes.

He is dressed in an elegant black suit, the favourite colour of princes, bourgeois and highly cultured intellectuals of the Renaissance, topped by a high white collar, typical elements of fashionable clothing in the second half of the 16th century.

There are no inscriptions or signs that could lead us to identify the identity of the sitter, but it could also likely be the painter's self-portrait, and this hypothesis would be supported by comparison with some of the painter's prints, or even with the Self-Portrait kept at the Uffizi Museum in Florence (https://rkd.nl/images/40949) although here immortalised at a more mature age.

With a haughty yet refined bearing, the author has here condensed many of the characteristic attributes of Van Dashorst Mor's style.

As can be seen from the work in question, his style owes much to Italian Renaissance portraiture, even if his surfaces are more detailed and shiny, according to a style of clear Nordic ancestry. For this reason the work was probably linked in the past to the Italian pictorial sphere (Isbilya Seville Auctions 22 June 2022, as an Italian painter of the XNUMXth century, see details in the images).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The painting is sold complete with a pleasant frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and descriptive iconographic card.

We take care of and organize the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers.

In case of purchase of the work by non-Italian customers it will be necessary to obtain an export permit which requires approximately 15/20 days, our gallery will take care of the entire phase until obtaining it. All costs of this procedure are included.

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