Artwork
Knabe mit Flinte
Knabe mit Flinte is an unspecified painting by Unknown. It dates from 1796 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections. The work portrays a young male figure dressed in eighteenth‑century costume, standing against a dark, undefined backdrop.
About this work
Overview
The work portrays a young male figure dressed in eighteenth‑century costume, standing against a dark, undefined backdrop. He holds a rifle aloft in his right hand while his left hand rests in a pocket. The composition centers on the boy’s pale, solemn face, which meets the viewer’s gaze directly, creating an intimate yet formal presence.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is presented as a youth equipped with a firearm, suggesting themes of readiness, status, or the rite of passage associated with hunting or military training in the period. The serious expression and direct eye contact convey a sense of responsibility or maturity beyond his years, inviting contemplation of the social expectations placed upon young men of the era.
Technique & Style
Employing strong chiaroscuro, the painter models the figure with dramatic contrasts of light and shadow, giving the flesh and clothing a three‑dimensional quality. The dark, indistinct background recedes, focusing attention on the illuminated face and the gleaming rifle. Fine brushwork renders the boy’s curly hair and the texture of his garments with subtle realism.
Context
The portrait reflects the eighteenth‑century European tradition of depicting youths in aristocratic or military attire, often to signal lineage, education, or future service. The inclusion of a rifle aligns with contemporary portraiture that highlighted the sitter’s preparedness for hunting or martial duties, common markers of status among the gentry.
Artist & collection
Domestic Scene
Giacomo and Cardinal Marco, investing Andrea, Abbot of San Zeno, with his Benefice
The Nymph of Fontainebleau
Portrait of a Woman
Madonna and Child with Saints in the Enclosed Garden
Venus and Minerva
Family Group of Four on Sofa
Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale
Portrait of the Father of Emilius Nicolai Scherr
Willem V (1748-1806), prins van Oranje
Portrait of a Gentleman
Portrait of a boy from the Romanov family (?), in armour, with the Order of Saint Anne and the star of the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called
Portrait of William Frederick, Prince of Orange-Nassau, later King William I, as a Child
Portrait of a Noble Boy in Oriental Costume
Portrait of a Young Man in Uniform
The Little Farmer (The Little Hunter)
Portrait of Nikita Petrovich Panin (1770-1837)
William George Frederick, Prince of Orange-Nassau, as a Child
Portrait of King Ferdinand IV of the Two Sicilies
Portrait of a boy