Portrait of a gentleman in armor with battle scene in the background

Oil on oval canvas

117 x 105 cm.

In gilded frame 124 x 112 cm.

This fascinating portrait depicting a knight in a proud attitude and dating back to the mid-17th century, depicts the gentleman with his armor, immortalized in a night of battle, which can be recognized in the scene depicted below him, animated by the roar of the cannon shots.

His pose is regal, portrait standing in three quarters, canonical to all high ranking officers, in this case of a general, recognizable thanks to the elegantly draped and girdled band on the arm, facing the viewer as if to recreate the sense of movement , which revives the composition and gives an aspect of great aristocratic dignity.

The work is to be placed within the pictorial production of the portraitist Giovanni Bernardo Carbone (Genoa, 1616 - 1683), who established himself in the thriving seventeenth-century Genoese art market and successfully dedicated himself to this genre, achieving excellent results with his workshop on the example of the famous models of Anton Van Dyck, so much so that he can be considered a follower of the Flemish artist.

The Flemish author had in fact lived in Genoa around the twenties of the century, becoming a point of reference for many authors of the city, who looked at and studied his style, even when he subsequently returned home.

In this regard, in relation to our portrait, one cannot fail to mention the portrait that Van Dyck made for Count Hendrik van den Bergh, belonging to one of the most illustrious families in Flanders, from which he partly takes up the composition, but adapting the features to the customer of the painting.

The first version of the painting is in Madrid, at the Prado Museum, while a second version (for many an excellent studio replica), is kept in the French collection of the Condé museum, in Chantilly.

Link:

- Madrid, Prado Museum, Spain: https: //www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/count-hendrik-van-den-bergh/f3fca328-e936-40 ...

- Chantilly, Musee Condé, France: https://www.pop.culture.gouv.fr/notice/joconde/00000076602

The painting was also popularized thanks to the engraving by Paulus Pontius, who was in charge of transferring some of the best-known paintings to copper by both Van Dyck (1599-1641) https://www.museodelprado.es/coleccion/obra-de-arte / el-conde-hendrik-van-den-bergh / d145e871-d423-425 ...

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The painting is in good condition with visible color changes.

The painting is sold with a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic card.

We take care and organize the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers.

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