Portrait Of An Elegant Young Man From The Louis XV Period

Sumptuous portrait of a young man from the first half of the 18th century, dressed in a French-style dress in red velvet, with wide sleeve cuffs (which dates it to the first part of the century, because subsequently, this element of prestige of clothing tends to be reduced for the convenience of use, under English influence), of a vest laced with gold thread, the hand placed on a marble entablature. He is represented in front of a draped silk curtain, and held in a pompom tieback. The painting is framed in a magnificent Regency frame in carved and gilded wood (the gilding was redone in the 19th century). The model, confident in her presence, wears a superb powdered wig, tied with a large black velvet bow, a curl of the tail of which is casually placed on her shoulder. The painter, with rare veracity for the time, represented the powder falling from this buckle on the shoulder. The painting has been cleaned and revarnished (matte). It is in perfect original condition. Faced with a painting of this quality, the question arises of an author (it is not signed) and even of a national style. One hypothesis would be that the painting is from a school in northern Italy.