16th century French school circa 1580 - Portrait of a young man

Late 16th century

Oil on canvas
Presented in a fine "Cassetta" frame decorated with gold arabesque motifs.
Total dimensions: 77 x 63 cm. Frame only: 55 x 43 cm

This handsome young man, no more than twenty years old, is dressed in a black velvet pourpoint and wears a very wide piped collar.

We can date this portrait to the years 1580-1590, and link it to the work of French painter and draughtsman Étienne Dumonstier, who was born in Paris in 1540 and died there on October 25, 1603.
In the service of royalty since the age of thirteen. He worked for over fifty years for kings such as Henri II, François II, Charles IX, Henri III and Henri IV, and is considered the founder of the Dumonstier School, to whom historians attribute numerous portraits from the second half of the 16th century (when he was in the limelight).
The eldest son of Geoffroy Dumonstier, he learned in his father's studio, also a painter, as well as in that of François Clouet (1520-1572), whose techniques and mannerisms he adopted. His style differs from that of his two brothers, Pierre and Cosme, in that it focuses more on a faithful representation of facial features and their psychological aspect.

Good condition.