Offered by Antichità Castelbarco
John Michael Wright (London, 1617 – London, 1694)
Portrait of a gentleman in ceremonial dress
Oil on canvas 127 x 94 cm. In a gilded frame 140 x 106 cm.
This charming portrait, of a celebratory nature, shows a gentleman of high social standing proudly displaying his sumptuous ceremonial dress. He is a young man with a voluminous wig falling over his shoulders, deep-set eyes and a calm, contemplative expression.
The artist's great skill is evident in the rendering of his clothing: a dark coat, probably velvet or damask, richly decorated with embroidery and shiny buttons on the front and sleeves, with white lace cuffs.
The ensemble is finished with an elegant white scarf tied around his neck and fastened in a buttonhole on his jacket. It is difficult to identify the subject with certainty, but he could be a member of the English upper middle class, a cloth merchant for example, or a nobleman or knight, given the accessories he is holding: a staff in one hand and a sword with a large plumed hat in the other.
The work can be attributed to the painter John Michael Wright (London, 1617 – London, 1694), a leading figure in 17th-century English high society, appreciated for his style characterised by sober but elegant realism.
He travelled extensively in Europe and for this reason was considered an exceptionally cosmopolitan painter, whose success stemmed precisely from his propensity to blend multiple influences, from traditional English and French painting to, most predominantly, Italian painting.
We know for certain that he spent ten years in Rome, where he immediately built up a considerable reputation, enabling him to join the Academy of St Luke in 1648. Wright then travelled to Brussels, where he worked for Leopold William, 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 came from commissions outside the court (already monopolised by his main rival Peter Lely), and in particular he won over numerous patrons among the nobility and upper middle class 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 characterisation, with his models tending to appear thoughtful rather than simply charming.
Delevery information :
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