Artwork
Portrait of a Boy with a Falcon
Portrait of a Boy with a Falcon is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Wallerant Vaillant. It dates from 1660 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
While the primary attribution is to Wallerant Vaillant, the creation of the piece has also been associated with Aelbert Cuyp in some records.
Created in 1660, the Portrait of a Boy with a Falcon is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. The work measures 75.6 centimeters in height and 63.5 centimeters in width. Stylistically, it is classified as a portrait that depicts a boy accompanied by a falcon.
While the primary attribution is to Wallerant Vaillant, the creation of the piece has also been associated with Aelbert Cuyp in some records. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
History & Provenance
Portrait of a Boy with a Falcon is an oil-on-canvas work by Wallerant Vaillant dated to 1660. According to the Wikidata record, the painting is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The sources do not document a prior ownership chain, commission, or any earlier provenance details preceding the work's placement at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, nor do they indicate the circumstances of its creation beyond the 1660 inception date.
The painting titled Portrait of a Boy with a Falcon, attributed to Wallerant Vaillant with possible contribution by Aelbert Cuyp, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Created in 1660, the oil-on-canvas work measures 75.6 cm in height and 63.5 cm in width. While the sources confirm its current location within the museum's holdings, they do not provide specific accession or inventory numbers for the piece.
Furthermore, the available documentation does not record any exhibition history for this artwork, leaving its display record undocumented in the provided references.
Overview
Wallerant Vaillant, a painter active during the Dutch Golden Age, completed Portrait of a Boy with a Falcon in 1660. This oil painting captures a young subject presenting a falcon, a work characteristic of the period's focus on individual representation. The artwork is presently housed within the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, offering insight into seventeenth-century portraiture.
Subject & Meaning
The painting features a young boy elegantly dressed in a red and gold ensemble, his neatly combed curly hair framed by a white collar and black ribbon. He holds a falcon, perched calmly on his gloved hand, its gaze sharp and focused. The boy's serious demeanor mirrors the bird's intensity, suggesting a disciplined connection between the two.
This depiction likely signifies the boy's social standing or his training in falconry, a prestigious activity of the time.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Wallerant Vaillant (30 May 1623 – 28 August 1677) was a painter of the Dutch Golden Age and one of the first artists to use the mezzotint technique, which he probably helped to develop.
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