Rosalba Carriera “Portrait of a Gentleman” Poldi Pezzoli Museum in Milan in Italy

Portrait of a Gentleman

Rosalba Carriera (October 7, 1675 — April 15, 1757) “Portrait of a Gentleman”

Painting - Pastel on paper (47.7 x 36 cm) 1730-1740

Rosalba Carriera, a Venetian painter, painted numerous portraits of members of the Venetian aristocracy. She also stayed in Paris, where she partly launched the fashion for portraits made in pastel.

This pastel portrait, whose model is not known, illustrates the quality and talent of this 18th-century painter.

The details of this man's face are meticulous while giving a modern touch to his white frac.

This gentleman looks at us with such intensity that he is as present, if not more so than he would be if this portrait had been a photograph.

Rosalba had a talent for creating realistic portraits of the people who posed for her.

Portrait of a Gentleman