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Head of a man
(c. 1795)
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
51.4 × 43.1 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1937
Gallery location
17th & 18th Century Decorative Arts & Paintings Gallery
Level 2, NGV International
About this work
Originally acquired as a work by the Neoclassical French painter Jacques-Louis David, this dashing portrait has now been attributed to the Swiss painter Jean-Pierre Saint-Ours, who was a fellow student of David under Joseph-Marie Vien. The two pupils completed their education in Rome and had many friends in common, including the painter Jean François Sablet. This head of an unknown young man corresponds to a new kind of friendship portrait exchanged between artists during the 1790s. The sitter is dashing and confidently painted, his republican values hinted at by the high, wide-brimmed hat that has been described as ‘a virtual identification badge among bons patriotes until about 1800’.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Geneva, Switzerland
Accession Number
408-4
Department
International Painting
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited
Subjects (general)
Human Figures Portraits
Subjects (specific)
busts (general, figures) collars (neckwear) men (male humans) menswear neck scarves top hats (hats)