Artwork
Portrait of a Man in a Fur-Trimmed Coat
Portrait of a Man in a Fur-Trimmed Coat is an oil painting. It dates from 1540 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work thus functions both as a likeness and as a visual statement of the subject's status, reflecting contemporary concerns with identity and prestige.
The painting portrays an unidentified man dressed in a dark garment trimmed with fur, a detail highlighted in the work's title. As a portrait, the sitter's direct gaze and formal pose convey individual presence, while the luxurious fur collar signals material wealth and high social rank, typical of mid-sixteenth-century Lombard portraiture. The work thus functions both as a likeness and as a visual statement of the subject's status, reflecting contemporary concerns with identity and prestige.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil paint on canvas, a medium well established for mid-sixteenth-century Lombard portraiture. Its support measures 97.5 cm in height by 74.9 cm in width, providing a nearly upright rectangular format suited to a half-length sitter. The handling is consistent with the conventions of Italian painters active around 1540, employing oil glazes to model the textures of the fur trim and the flesh tones of the face.
Stylistically, the composition adheres to the standard Lombard portrait type of the period, presenting the male subject in a restrained, frontal orientation against a neutral ground.
Context
The painting titled Portrait of a Man in a Fur-Trimmed Coat was created in 1540 using oil on canvas. It belongs to the portrait genre and is attributed to an Italian (Lombard) painter, placing it within the mid-sixteenth-century tradition of Lombard portraiture. The work is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Its material composition of oil paint on canvas and its depiction of a man in a fur-trimmed coat align with contemporary portrait conventions of the period, illustrating the stylistic concerns of Italian artists working in the 1500s.
Overview
This painting, titled "Portrait of a Man in a Fur-Trimmed Coat," is an oil on canvas work. It presents a distinguished male figure, whose elaborate attire and a held letter suggest a person of considerable standing. The artist's meticulous rendering of textures and details contributes to the subject's dignified portrayal, highlighting the skill involved in its creation.
Artist & collection
