Free Shipping UK, EU, US & Canada

  • Search
  • 0
  • Search

    • Late 18th-Century French School

    Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Cloak

    £1,395.00
    Late 18th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Cloak
    Late 18th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Cloak
    Late 18th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Cloak
    Late 18th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Cloak
    Late 18th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Cloak
    Late 18th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Cloak
    Late 18th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Cloak
    Late 18th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Cloak
    Late 18th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Cloak

    Late 18th-Century French School

    Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Cloak

    £1,395.00
    Make An Enquiry

    This enchanting late 18th-century French portrait depicts a debonair gentleman wearing a dark green coat, white necktie, and black cloak.

    Produced during a time of unparalleled political unrest in France, there’s a certain air of intrigue surrounding this piece from circa 1795. It reminds us in several ways of Jacques-Louis David’s (1748-1825) self-portrait from 1794, which he undertook while imprisoned for his revolutionary views. There’s a shared intensity in the eyes coupled with an underlying sense of restlessness. It’s also plausibly a self-portrait with the artist working from his reflection.

    The cloak is a particularly interesting addition as it’s worn over the left shoulder only and could be seen as conveying a symbolic reference. Is he metaphorically concealing his subversive ideologies? Or is it simply an aesthetic tool to increase visual interest?

    “The questioning spirit is the rebellious spirit. A rebellion is always either a cloak to hide a prince or the swaddling wrapper of a new rule.” Honoré de Balzac (1799- 1850).

    The portrait is signed indistinctly on the right and held in a splendid gilt frame, which is probably original.

    Medium: Oil on canvas
    Overall size: 23½” x 27” / 60cm x 69cm
    Year of creation: c. 1795
    Provenance: Private collection, Germany.
    Condition: Cleaned. Canvas relined. Areas of fine and settled craquelure, as you would expect. The paint layer is stable. Frame with various marks and showing its age.
    Our reference: BRV1975

    Late 18th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Cloak
    Late 18th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Cloak
    Late 18th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Cloak
    Late 18th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Cloak
    Late 18th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Cloak
    Late 18th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Cloak
    Late 18th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Cloak
    Late 18th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Cloak
    Late 18th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Cloak

    Conservation & History

    We care profoundly about our role as custodians and every piece in the collection has been assessed by our conservator. When required, we undertake professional restoration carefully using reversible techniques and adopt a light touch to retain the aged charm of each work. We also often restore frames rather than replace them as many are original and selected by the artists themselves.

    Stay In Touch
    Subscribe to our Wednesday newsletter for the latest finds and 10% off your order.

    Availability