1735
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Portrait of a Man is a 1735 unspecified by Christian Friedrich Zincke, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A man in a bright blue coat looks straight at you. His waistcoat is yellow with embroidery, and his white collar has lace ruffles. A powdered wig frames his rosy face. This tiny painting fits in a locket. On the back, a lock of brown hair is tucked behind glass—like a keepsake. Miniatures like this were gifts or mementos in 18th-century England. To see more small portraits like this, look up *England, 18th century*.
The unknown sitter's shoulders are turned to the right, and he is painted almost full face. He wears a bright blue velvet coat with covered buttons, deep yellow embroidered waistcoat, and white stock collar with double lace frill down the front. His powdered wig falls to his shoulders. He has gray eyes and is clean shaven with rosy cheeks, and the background is dark brown. The miniature is set in a gold locket-style frame. The back displays a lock of dark brown hair inside a border of bright blue foiled glass—a popular framing style for miniatures in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth…
Unlike fragile portrait miniatures painted in watercolor on vellum or ivory, which are prone to cracking, fading, and flaking, enamels are resilient, impervious to the effects of light, and retain their striking original colors over time.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Christian Friedrich Zincke (c.1683–5 – 24 March 1767) was a German miniature painter active in England in the 18th century.
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
