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Portrait of a Man in Costume

Painting of bearded, ruddy-faced man in eighteenth century style clothing.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • Painting of bearded, ruddy-faced man in eighteenth century style clothing.

Date:

c. 1767–68

Artist:

Jean-Honoré Fragonard (French, 1732–1806)

About this artwork

Jean-Honoré Fragonard is perhaps best known for his light-hearted, amorous subjects, which seem to embody the spirit of eighteenth-century France. This work, painted in lively brushstrokes, represents another important aspect of Fragonard’s genius—in a series of fantasy portraits, he used references to earlier artists to enliven his own characterizations of his patrons and artistic friends. Here the identity of the sitter is unknown; however, the half-length format, the rapid, virtuoso handling of the paint, and the use of seventeenth-century costume link this work to the fantasy portraits. In this instance, Fragonard took as his starting point a painting of an actor by the Italian Baroque artist Domenico Fetti, then in a leading Parisian collection; in other related portraits, the French painter was inspired by the bravura style of the Flemish artists Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck. Two paintings from this series bear inscriptions stating that they were painted in one hour. Whether or not this is literally true, the direct, personal quality that results from Fragonard’s command of the medium makes this series particularly appealing to a modern sensibility.

Status

On View, Gallery 216

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

Jean Honoré Fragonard

Title

Portrait of a Man in Costume

Place

France (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1767–1768

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

80.3 × 64.7 cm (31 5/8 × 25 1/2 in.); Framed: 105.5 × 89.6 × 12.7 cm (41 1/2 × 35 1/4 × 5 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mary and Leigh Block in honor of John Maxon

Reference Number

1977.123

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/93900/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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