FRENCH SCHOOL, CIRCA 1480
Portrait of a Young Man
oil on panel
10 x 8 inches (26.7 x 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 linearism, 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, and long hair was quite fashionable during the reign of Charles VIII (1483-1498).
Sold to a Private Collection, New York