18th century French school.
Oil painting on canvas, cleaned and relined, with no inscription on the back.
Canvas dimensions: h. 64x82 cm, with original frame 104x86 cm.
This gentleman is portrayed here in armor and a large red cloak, which, standing out from the brown background of the painting, and in contrast with the armor's golden colors, makes the whole more precious.
These lavish and austere portraits are now also appreciated as a source for the history of costume and fashion, because, in addition to the physiognomic resemblance of the characters, they manage to capture the details of the clothes and furniture of the historical period.
The canvas and relining are well stretched and fixed to the wooden frame with wedges inserted at the four corners. The painting has been cleaned and relined. The frame has been replaced. Upon examination under Wood's lamp, UV fluorescence (an investigation designed to detect later pictorial retouching on the surface of paintings) the painting shows some retouching, concentrated in particular around the nose, eyes and under the mouth. Cleaning would make the face more pleasant.
