Provenance: private collection
In this highly original portrait, where the model is neither quite three-quarters nor full face, Corneille de Lyon creates an astonishing effect of instantaneity...
read moreProvenance: private collection
In this highly original portrait, where the model is neither quite three-quarters nor full face, Corneille de Lyon creates an astonishing effect of instantaneity and naturalness. Belonging to a private collection for almost two hundred years, this work is wonderfully well preserved, retaining all its original freshness and its deft touch. The man proudly flaunts his luxurious wardrobe composed of a black beret with a white feather and a shirt with a collar and cream-coloured doublet, both embellished with gold thread. Unfortunately, the identity of the figure is unknown but his richly decorated clothing would indicate a high rank in the society of the day.
Corneille de Lyon has painted this work in stages, first applying the green background before working on the character’s face. The latter is depicted in a highly natural manner. The painter has taken the decision to portray his subject from a particularly difficult angle: his head is shown slightly turned to the right. The head’s strong bone structure creates a feeling of determination. Corneille outlines the contours of the nose and the eyes, taking into account the variations in light and shade that punctuate the pale pink complexion. The hair and closely trimmed beard are meticulously painted. The face’s expression is deliberately strong; the figure’s piercing and vigorous stare gives the work a particular energy.
As is often the case in Corneille’s work, the figure’s body is less precisely rendered. The doublet and shirt are indeed depicted with less finesse, but the vitality emanating forth gives the painting a strangely modern feel. Only a few brushstrokes are required of the painter to express all the fluidity and delicacy of the clothing.
Anne Dubois de Groër considers this panel to be one of Corneille de Lyon’s mature works, dated approximately 1555. Of an exquisite quality and finesse, this portrait reveals a Corneille de Lyon at the height of his art.
Kronach 1472 – Weimar 1553
Lucas Cranach was one of the pillars of artistic creation in the north-east of Germany during the first half of the 16th century. With Hans Holbein the Younger and...
read moreKronach 1472 – Weimar 1553
Lucas Cranach was one of the pillars of artistic creation in the north-east of Germany during the first half of the 16th century. With Hans Holbein the Younger and Albrecht Dürer, he is considered to be one of the main representatives of the German Renaissance.
Both a painter and engraver, and a friend of Martin Luther and numerous humanists, he successfully painted religious and mythological scenes, portraits and female nudes which he often identified with Lucretia or Venus. Until 1498, he studied with his father, Hans, who influenced the beginning of his career. He then travelled to Vienna, where it seems he settled in 1500.
The first known works of the artist date from this period; they are religious scenes whose vivid and expressive colours show proof of his creative power. In 1505, he became court painter for the Electors of Saxony. He decorated their castles, painted their portraits and those of their wives, executed altarpieces and also painted profane subjects. In 1508, Elector Frederick of Saxony granted Cranach his coat of arms with a winged serpent, which became the artist’s signature. His sons, Hans and Lucas the Younger, were among his assistants. Loyally imitating his style, they played a major role in the works produced by his studio.
Apart from a visit to the Netherlands in 1508, the master resided almost uninterruptedly in Wittenberg. As an important citizen, he sat on the town’s assembly in 1519 and acted as burgomaster in 1537 and 1540. Despite the numerous influences that marked his era, his work remained faithful to the gothic traditions.
