Portrait of a Man in a Brown Coat

French Painter

Date unknown · Oil on canvas · European Paintings

These pendants, presumably of a husband and wife, are typical of a format and style popularized by Pierre Gobert (1662–1744) who looked to French Renaissance precedents even as many of his contemporaries were turning to the lighter, animated portraits of Anthony Van Dyck (1599–1641). The sitters’ faces, including his five o’clock shadow, are rendered admirably, but their costumes are comparatively schematic, particularly around his shoulder and her drapery and jewelry, making the attribution of these works difficult.

Artist

French Painter

Date

Date unknown

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Bequest of Catherine D. Wentworth, 1948