Portrait of a gentleman as an art collector

Oil painting on canvas

88 x 74 cm

Framed 97 x 83

The beautiful portrait proposed depicts a gentleman with an austere bearing, richly dressed in an elegant light blue reception suit, of which one can appreciate the lace and brocade embroidery of the bodice, painted with accuracy and extraordinary rendering, embellished in the neck and in the sleeves by ermine fur inserts.

The portrayed is seated on an armchair decorated according to the rocaille dictates of the period, in carved and gilded wood and upholstered in precious arabesque fabric in shades of blue, which blend well with the nuances of our lord's dress.

To further emphasize his status, and his full social and intellectual affirmation, the author portrayed the nobleman holding a painting in his hands, as if to show off his culture and passion for art. It is interesting to note that the small painting is a typically Venetian landscape of the eighteenth century (based on the models of Marco Ricci), a detail that could support the hypothesis that it is a Venetian collector and patron.

The work, which in fact fits perfectly into the Venetian portrait of the eighteenth century, suggests for the style characters the pertinent attribution to Bartolomeo Nazari (Bergamo 1693 - Milan 1758), whose works were highly praised and earned him a great reputation as a portraitist for the demanding lagoon patriciate of the full eighteenth century.

Bartolomeo Nazari, a painter of Bergamo origin, arrived in Venice when he was only 17 years old and over time he managed to forge important relationships with the local aristocracy, a situation that allowed him to obtain a large number of commissions, especially for portraits.

The work fits well into that group of small compositions in which Nazari describes and interprets the daily life that takes place in Venetian homes, according to an illustrative vein peculiar to his nature as a refined narrator.

The elements that unite his works concern the setting of the portraits, the quality of the color, rich in nuances and the painter's willingness to render the physiognomies and psychological characteristics of the characters represented with great realism.

Complete with a beautiful antique carved wooden frame

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