French School, circa 1480

Portrait of a Young Man

oil on panel

10"×8" (26.7 cm×20 cm)

PROVENANCE:
E. and A. Silberman Galleries, Inc., New York; Oliver B. James, Phoenix, Arizona, 1955; World House Galleries, New York; Anonymous sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, November 22-23, 1963, lot 47 (as Burgundian Master, circa 1480) where purchased by; Private Collection, New York until the present time

NOTE: Dr. Max J. Friedländer in a photo-certificate dated Berlin, November 10, 1938, states this painting to be a work from the French School executed around 1480.

Although anonymous, the influence of the artist traditionally called the Master of Moulins, recently identified as Jean Hey, is apparent. Hey (active 1480 - 1500) was a Flemish painter working in Moulins, who had been strongly influenced by the work of Hugo van der Goes (Flemish circa 1440 - 1482). Van der Goes’s characteristic facial types consisted of rather small pursed lips, long thin noses, slanted eyes, pointed faces, and an overall pallor of the flesh. Hey’s portraits reflected these traits, and as the most important artist working in central France at the end of the fifteenth century, his impact would have been felt.

The face of the sitter is seen in a three-quarter view, the angle favored by most artists during this period. The positioning of the head downwards was meant to make the sitter appear modest. The portrait is particularly French in its pronounced linearity, enhanced by the striking contrast of red garments against the green background. This color scheme was much in vogue at the time. The flat background isolated the figure, stripped of other distractions, the viewer is forced to concentrate on the sitter. The face is evenly and softly lit. The hat and tunic are consistent with clothing of the period of 1480, as was long hair which was quite fashionable during the reign of Charles VIII (1483-1498).

Although unintended by the artist, what makes this sensitive portrait even more compelling is the now visible underdrawing. Underdrawing refers to lines that the artist would have directly applied to the gesso ground of the panel to define the main contours of the face and then largely covered over with opaque layers of paint or semi-transparent glazes. As in this panel, sometimes with age the upper layers of paint become transparent and the underdrawing obvious, leaving the viewer a discernible pattern of construction and a key to the methodology of the artist. It is simultaneously a work in progress and a finished product.

Although little is known about the commissioning of private portraiture during this period, it was often done to commemorate events of personal significance. They were also painted as gifts for friends and acquaintances. Further, if a hazardous trip was being contemplated a portrait could be painted as a keepsake in case one failed to return. Whatever the painting’s original function, this elegant and dignified portrayal now serves as a testament to a cultural period from which proportionally little survives.

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