eighteenth century
cm. 60 x 45 - in frame cm. 73 x 58
Portrait of an oriental philosopher with a book
Workshop of Giambattista Tiepolo (Venice, 1696 – Madrid, 1770)
Possible Lorenzo Tiepolo (Venice, 1736 – Madrid, 1776)
oil on canvas (cm. 60 x 45 – in frame cm. 73 x 58)
Good storage conditions
FULL DETAILS OF THE PAINTING (please click here)
Half-length portrait of a mature man, turned three-quarters to the left, with a long beard, graying hair and his head covered by a cap. He wears oriental clothes: a white shirt and a purple-red cloak, with the edges closed by a band on the chest embellished with a diadem with cameo.
The intensity of the eyes stands out in the face furrowed by wrinkles, sunken, yet lively and sharp. It seems clear, even in the vagueness of a fantasy portrait, that in any case it is the face of a wise man, probably a philosopher.
The details of the face are very precise, the beard is unkempt but excellently finished, and finally the eyes are expressive and intense, while he exhibits a mocking smile.
The source of inspiration was undoubtedly Rembrandt who, in the previous century, had established the characteristics of this genre, taking old men with oriental-inspired clothes as models to create poetic and enigmatic images, bearers of a wisdom that is obscure to us and therefore 'philosophers' par excellence, destined to delight and fascinate the observer.
The canvas, of truly remarkable quality, is closely connected to the production of character and fantasy heads that developed in Venice during the eighteenth century and reached its peak in the works of Gian Battista Tiepolo, author of the famous series of twenty fantasy portraits of 'Philosophers', later taken up in the workshop by his sons Gian Domenico and Lorenzo, who provided contributions of the highest level to this particular figurative typology.
In particular, we can compare the prototype with the 'Portrait of a Bearded Old Man', traceable in the print made by Gian Domenico Tiepolo (Galleria Sabauda, Graphic Collection, inventory number 3359, link: https://catalogo.beniculturali.it/detail/HistoricOrArtisticProperty/0100214303-10).
Looking closely at the style of our sitter, the main points of contact are with the works of his second-born son Lorenzo Tiepolo (Venice, 1736 – Madrid, 1776), to whom we could plausibly attribute its execution.
Younger son of Giambattista, the painter trained in the family workshop in Venice, but followed his father both to Würzburg, where in 1750 he was called to decorate the residence of the prince-bishop Philipp von Greiffenklau, and to Madrid to the court of Charles III of Spain to decorate the Palacio de Oriente, the new court palace.
Once he returned permanently to the lagoon city, Lorenzo began to practice his profession independently, specializing excellently in portraiture and, as in this case, in reproducing works that evoke his father's canvases.
Among the works of Lorenzo Tiepolo we can mention, in correlation to our painting, the Portrait of a Philosopher with a Book (Baltimore Art Museum, imm.1, https://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/entry/work/69485/), the Portrait of a Man in Oriental Dress (Pavia, Musei Civici del Castello Visconteo, imm.2, https://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/69477/), the Portrait of a Young Man with a Turban (Christie's Auction, New York. Imm.3, https://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/69297/), and also the Head of an Old Man (Private Collection imm.4).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The painting is sold complete with a pleasant golden frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and descriptive iconographic card.
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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