Artwork
Portrait of a Cello Player
Portrait of a Cello Player is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Giacomo Ceruti. It dates from 1750 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts an unidentified man playing the cello, presented as a straightforward portrait rather than a scene laden with complex allegory.
The work depicts an unidentified man playing the cello, presented as a straightforward portrait rather than a scene laden with complex allegory. Created by Giacomo Ceruti in 1750, the painting focuses on the figure and his instrument without providing specific narrative context or symbolic layers beyond the act of musical performance. The subject remains anonymous, emphasizing the individual's engagement with the cello rather than a broader moral or mythological statement.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1750, this portrait by Giacomo Ceruti is an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 92 cm in height and 74 cm in width. As a formal portrait, the composition focuses on an unidentified male figure depicted with a cello, adhering to the conventions of the genre.
The application of oil paint on a woven support reflects the standard technical practices for eighteenth-century European portraiture.
History & Provenance
Portrait of a Cello Player was created by Giacomo Ceruti in 1750, executed in oil paint on canvas. The work is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it is currently located. The sources do not provide further information on the ownership chain, intermediate possessors, or commissioning circumstances preceding its accession by the museum, nor do they document any subsequent loans, sales, or deaccessions.
The painting's inception date of 1750 establishes its creation within Ceruti's mature period, but the available records do not specify the circumstances of its production, the identity of the sitter beyond an unidentified man, or the path by which it entered the Kunsthistorisches Museum's holdings.
Overview
Created circa 1750 by the Italian painter Giacomo Ceruti, this oil on canvas depicts a seated man holding a cello. The work belongs to the Rococo period and is presently housed in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. The figure is rendered with a calm, attentive expression, set against a dark green backdrop that accentuates the pale skin and the warm tones of the instrument.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Giacomo Antonio Melchiorre Ceruti (13 October 1698 – 28 August 1767) was an Italian late Baroque painter, active in Northern Italy.
