Offered by Gallery Judith et Jean de Beaumont
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Classical Painting from the 16th to the 19th Century (Flanders, Italy, France)
Dimensions excluding frame: 85 × 105 cm
Early 19th-century oil on canvas, based on the famous equestrian portrait of the Infante Baltasar Carlos, son of King Philip IV of Spain, painted by Diego Velázquez around 1634–1635 and housed at the Prado Museum in Madrid.
This interpretation is distinguished by a free and vigorous brushstroke and a more dramatic atmosphere than that of the original. The overcast sky, the deep shades of blue-green, and the contrasts in light lend the scene a particular intensity. The dark silhouette of the rearing horse exudes power, while the young prince’s illuminated face draws the viewer’s gaze.
The quality of the brushwork is evident in the golden accents of the costume and tack, the nuances of the pink scarf, and the movement of the fabrics billowing in the wind. The execution, lively and expressive, goes beyond a mere copy: the painter preserves the majesty of Velázquez’s composition while infusing it with a personal sensibility that is more spirited and theatrical.
Presented in a large, recent gilded frame decorated with foliage and moldings.
Condition and restorations: old tears reinforced on the reverse with pieces of canvas. The canvas has also been retensioned and reinforced along its edges with tension strips.
Period: early 19th century.
Technique: oil on canvas.
