John Michael Wright, Portrait of a Gentleman, 1670, Oil on Canvas

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John Michael Wright
(London, 1617 – London, 1694)

Portrait of a Gentleman in Formal Dress

Oil on canvas (127 x … Read more John Michael Wright
(London, 1617 – London, 1694)

Portrait of a Gentleman in Formal Dress

Oil on canvas (127 x 94 cm - Gilded frame 140 x 106 cm)

This charming, celebratory portrait depicts a gentleman of high social standing proudly displaying his sumptuous formal dress.

He is a young man, wearing a voluminous wig that falls to his shoulders, with deep-set eyes and a calm, contemplative expression.

The artist's great skill is evident in his attire: a dark coat, likely velvet or damask, richly adorned with embroidery and shiny buttons on the front and sleeves, with white lace cuffs. The whole thing is finished with an elegant white scarf tied at the neck and secured in a buttonhole on the jacket.

It's difficult to pinpoint the sitter's precise identity, but he could be a member of the English upper class, a textile merchant for example, or a nobleman or knight, judging by the accessories he holds in his hand: a cane on one side, a sword on the other, and a large plumed hat.

The work can be placed within the pictorial production of portraitist John Michael Wright (London, 1617 – London, 1694), a key figure in 17th-century English high society, appreciated for his style, characterized by a sober yet elegant realism.

He traveled extensively in Europe and was therefore considered an exceptionally cosmopolitan painter, whose success stemmed precisely from his propensity to blend various influences, from traditional English painting to French, with a predominant emphasis on Italian painting.

We know for certain that he spent a decade in Rome, where he quickly built a notable reputation, enough to earn him admission to the Accademia di San Luca in 1648. Wright subsequently traveled to Brussels, where he worked for Leopold Wilhelm, Archduke of Austria and governor of the Spanish Netherlands.

In 1656, he returned permanently to London, working for the English court, although his great fortune derived from commissions outside the court (already monopolized by his main rival Peter Lely), and in particular, he won numerous patrons among the nobility and upper middle classes of London.

As we can see from the painting in question, his style, although less polished than Lely's, had the great merit of being more penetrating and individual in its characterization, with his models tending to appear thoughtful rather than simply charming.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The painting is sold with a beautiful frame and comes with a certificate of authenticity and an iconographic. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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