Portrait of a gentleman, mixed media (tempera and gouache), circa 1850

Portrait of a gentleman, circa 1850
Tempera and gouache (probably mixed media with watercolour) on paper mounted on card; unsigned, undated; overall support 56 × 46 cm.

This portrait is a remarkable example of Western middle-class portraiture of the mid-19th century. The composition, set within an oval medallion, shows a young gentleman seated in an armchair, dressed in a formal black suit with a white shirt and bow tie, in a sober and contemplative attitude. The table on which a few books and a pair of spectacles are placed introduces a discreet intellectual dimension, suggesting that the sitter belonged to the educated elite of the period.

The execution denotes a sound academic training, characterised by rigorous drawing, fine modelling of the volumes and a balanced palette. The careful treatment of the physiognomy and of the psychological expression contrasts with the economy of the setting, directing the viewer's attention to the individuality of the sitter. The oval format of the image and the sobriety of the representation reflect the conventions of the family portrait of the early Victorian period and of the middle decades of the 19th century.

Although the absence of a signature prevents attribution to a particular artist, the technical and stylistic quality indicates execution in a professional workshop. The work is a representative document of the visual culture of the European middle class around 1850, illustrating the ideals of respectability, education and social advancement characteristic of the period.

The sitter is shown seated in a bentwood armchair, dressed in a black formal suit with a white shirt and bow tie, in a calm and self-assured attitude. On the table in the background are several volumes and a pair of spectacles, iconographic elements suggesting the sitter's intellectual or professional standing - a lawyer, professor, doctor or senior official. The background is deliberately simplified to concentrate attention on the features and the expression. The modelling of the face is carefully built up through fine gradations of tone, the drawing is precise, and the palette is restrained, dominated by browns, greys and deep black. The oval format was extremely popular in this period, still recalling the tradition of miniatures and family portraits of the first half of the nineteenth century.

One detail that stands out is the quality of the execution of the hands and the face, appreciably better than that found in many commercial portraits of the period. This probably indicates a professional artist, even though the work is unsigned. The furniture and the dress are also rendered with sufficient fidelity to support a dating between 1845 and 1860.

The state of preservation

• the card support is aged and acidified;
• the edges show tears and localised losses;
• there are traces of damp in the lower part;
• the card is friable;
• the painting itself is well preserved, with no major losses to the paint layer and with the colour still vivid.