Portrait of a singer in a doublet, Claude Vignon (Tours, 1593 – Paris, 1670)

Claude Vignon (Tours, 1593 – Paris, 1670)
Portrait of a singer in a doublet

1625 about

Oil on canvas (105 x 79 cm – Framed 120 x 94 cm)

Full details of the work (CLICK HERE)

The work has been the subject of a detailed study by Dr. Daniele Fiore (2019) (link to consult the document: https://issuu.com/theartadvisor/docs/claude_vignon )

We present this interesting portrait of a young singer, immortalized frontally while holding his score in his hand, elegantly dressed in a damask doublet with puffed sleeves, from which emerges a shirt with a soft collar, tightened at the waist with a sash, according to typical Renaissance fashion.

The sitter is depicted with a disheveled hairstyle, as if he had just been hit by a gust of wind that ruffled his hair and bent the corner of the sheet of music, thus revealing some letters in capital letters (the first, cruciform, perhaps an “F”, the second, a “B” with a probable apical sign, the third a “C”).

In this sense, the facial expression, with the mouth open in the act of taking on the singing tone and the gaze turned upward, leaves one wondering whether those eyes are searching for the perfect note, or cursing at the unexpected draft.

The young man's intense gaze seems so lost in a "dreamy distance" that it makes him fascinating, emphasized by the soft rendering of the light that defines the volumes of the face.

His pose is also curious, with his left hand held under his jacket, giving the impression of a relaxed posture, as if the young man were improvising a song with his hand in his pocket and his right side resting his elbow on a balustrade.

An analysis of the composition and style would allow us to compare its execution to that of the French Claude Vignon (Tours, 1593 – Paris, 1670), illustrating a typical subject of the figurative repertoire conceived by the great master, very close to the world of music.

In his portraits, Vignon masterfully combined Caravaggio's chiaroscuro with the light colors favored by his fellow French artists working in Rome and Venice. The rich color palette, Vignon's signature, converges here in a rapid, frayed brushstroke.

After studying in Paris with Jacob Bunel, one of the most famous masters of the reign of Henry IV, he moved to Rome to complete his training (c. 1610-1623) under the influence of Caravaggio and his followers, and stood out for an eclectic style, characterized by bright colors, thick impasto brushstrokes and a peculiar expressiveness, with a free and theatrical composition.

On the basis of this attribution, confirmed by a study dedicated to the painting by Dr. Daniele Fiore in 2019, the painting in question could be part of the "Triptych of the Singers" that Claude Vignon is said to have executed in the 1620s. The painting, in addition to the painting presented here, consists of two other canvases, one of which is currently at the Louvre in Paris (https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010066185 ) and the other was auctioned by Sotheby's in December 2008.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

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

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