Portrait Of Alexander Van Aken (1701-1757) In Oil On English Panel From The 18th Century

Beautiful 18th century English portrait in oil on panel by the famous drapery painter Alexander van Aken. It is probably a self-portrait, it represents the artist in three-quarter view in his studio, dressed in a red dress over a red drape, wearing a turban and caught in the act of painting. Drapery painters were specialist painters who complemented the dresses, costumes and other accessories worn by the subjects of painted portraits, and from around 1725 to 1760 a large majority of clothing and landscapes in British portraits were painted by the workshop of 'Alexander Van Haecken and his brother Joseph (died in 1749). Working for portrait painters with a large clientele, the brothers were in fact recognized as some of the greatest drapery painters active in mid-18th century England and the connection between the brothers and the portraitist Thomas Hudson and the similarities between the Van Haecken's sketches in the National Gallery of Art of Scotland and surviving portraits are well documented. The work of drapery painters was essential to the success of many famous London portrait painters who did the face and hands, and drapery painters were responsible for the costume. This recently discovered portrait is an important work that helps to understand the creative and commercial functioning of the 18th-century portrait workshop. (See the Yale Center Fror British Art collections for a portrait of the same model, attributed to Thomas Hudson (1701-1779). Panel: 29" x 25" / 25cm x 20cm. Frame: 17" x 14.5” / 44cm x 37cm