Artwork
Portrait of a Man
Portrait of a Man is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Corneille de Lyon. It dates from 1538 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The piece is classified within the genre of portraiture and currently resides in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.
Executed in 1538, this portrait by Corneille de Lyon is an oil painting applied to a walnut support. The work is characterized by its diminutive scale, measuring approximately 16.5 by 14.3 centimeters, a format typical of the artist's intimate courtly likenesses. As a panel painting, the medium allows for the fine detail required to render the male subject.
The piece is classified within the genre of portraiture and currently resides in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. While specific details regarding the surface condition or the precise handling of the brushwork are not explicitly detailed in the available records, the choice of walnut as a substrate and the small dimensions define its primary material and formal qualities.
History & Provenance
The Portrait of a Man by Corneille de Lyon is dated to 1538 based on the artist’s documented activity in Lyon during that period. The work’s early provenance traces to a London sale in 1832, where it appeared as a portrait of Rabelais in the Oxenham & Son auction. It was subsequently acquired by Sir John Rushout, 6th baronet, and entered the Northwick collection at Northwick Park.
Ownership passed to his nephew, Sir George Rushout, and later to Elizabeth Augusta, Lady Northwick, before descending to Captain Edward George Spencer-Churchill. The painting was sold at Christie’s in 1965 and purchased by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., through P. & D. Colnaghi that same year.
The Portrait of a Man by Corneille de Lyon is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it was acquired in 1965. The work's provenance traces to an 1832 London sale by Oxenham & Son, after which it entered the collection of Sir John Rushout, 6th Baronet, at Northwick Park. It subsequently passed through the Rushout family to Captain Edward George Spencer-Churchill, from whose estate it was sold at Christie, Manson & Woods in London on May 28, 1965, before being purchased by the National Gallery of Art.
The provided sources detail the painting's ownership history and current location but do not record specific exhibition dates or venues.
Overview
Corneille de Lyon's painting, titled "Portrait of a Man," dates to approximately 1538. This oil work, executed on a walnut panel, presents an unidentified male figure. It exemplifies the artist's refined approach to portraiture, which was highly sought after in mid-16th century France for its precision and intimate scale.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a man seated within a simple, unadorned space, directing the viewer's attention entirely to the sitter. He is dressed in the elaborate fashion of the 1500s, including a prominent hat and a richly detailed coat, suggesting his social status. His serious and somewhat proud expression is characteristic of formal portraiture from this period.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Corneille de Lyon was a Dutch painter of portraits who was active in Lyon, France, from 1533 until his death. In France and the Netherlands he is also still known as Corneille de La Haye after his birthplace, The Hague.
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