France, 1720-1740, Portrait of a Noble Gentleman, France, 1720-1740, Portrait of a Noble Gentleman

80 × 65 cm

The portrait shows a noble gentleman in a casual, silk dressing gown (morning robe), called a robe de chambre in French. He looks at the viewer in a friendly, yet somewhat distant way. He has a high powdered wig on his head. The flushed cheeks point to the liveliness and hedonistic nature of the portrait subject. A voluminous scarf wraps around his neck and chest. It is said that this type of clothing (banyan) was especially popular with intellectuals, who often had themselves painted in it. Benjamin Rush (1745/46–1813) wrote: "Loose dress contributes to the easy and vigorous exercise of the powers of the mind. This observation is so obvious and so generally known that we find thoughtful men always painted in dress when sitting in their libraries." The color of the dress in our portrait is very restrained, designed in a purple-gray tone, so that the face, with red tones, stands out as the main accent.
Oil on canvas
Size 80 × 65 cm