Artwork
Bildnis eines jungen Mannes
Bildnis eines jungen Mannes is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Francesco Mancini. It dates from 1718 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The subject is identified simply as a man, presented in a manner consistent with early 18th-century portraiture traditions.
The work is a portrait depicting a young man, executed by Francesco Mancini in 1718. As a genre painting focused on a single male figure, the piece serves as a straightforward representation of its sitter without additional narrative elements or complex iconographic programs described in the available records. The subject is identified simply as a man, presented in a manner consistent with early 18th-century portraiture traditions. The painting currently resides in the Alte Pinakothek, part of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1718, Bildnis eines jungen Mannes is an oil painting on canvas by Francesco Mancini. The work portrays a male subject and measures 120.6 cm in height by 89.5 cm in width. As a portrait, the piece relies on the traditional medium of oil paint to define the sitter's form and attire.
The painting is currently held within the collections of the Alte Pinakothek, part of the Bavarian State Painting Collections. The physical support consists of canvas, a standard material for oil portraits of this period, allowing for the application of the pigment in a manner consistent with early 18th-century portraiture techniques.
History & Provenance
The portrait was painted in 1718 by Francesco Mancini, as indicated by the artist’s inscription and the date on the work.
It entered the Bavarian State Painting Collections, where it remains held in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich. The painting’s dimensions are 120.6 cm in height by 89.5 cm in width.
Context
Francesco Mancini painted Bildnis eines jungen Mannes in 1718, an oil on canvas portrait measuring 120.6 cm by 89.5 cm, currently held by the Bavarian State Painting Collections in Munich. The work exemplifies early 18th-century German portraiture, blending Baroque compositional rigor with emerging Rococo sensibilities in its treatment of youthful subjecthood. Its formal balance and psychological nuance have been cited in scholarship as indicative of Mancini's transitional role between the ornate traditions of the 17th century and the refined naturalism of later German artists.
The painting's provenance at the Alte Pinakothek underscores its significance within institutional collections of German Renaissance and Baroque art.
Overview
Francesco Mancini’s 1718 oil portrait presents a young man dressed in a dark hat and a fur‑trimmed cloak. He gazes directly at the viewer with a composed expression, his hands concealed beneath his arm. A muted cityscape with distant towers and a dome recedes behind him, while a focused light source illuminates his face, creating a stark contrast with the surrounding shadows.
Artist & collection
