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Portrait of a Man
(Baroque Europe )
The glittering embroidery on the sitter's ermine-trimmed jacket recalls 17th-century Polish uniforms and suggests that he may have been a member of a visiting delegation to Rome.
Born and trained in Genoa, Baciccio, once in Rome, became a protégé of the great sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who helped him obtain commissions. The open, upturned hand is a gesture associated with conversation, in this case, presumably with the viewer. This, along with the way the sitter leans slightly to one side, gives the portrait a sense of spontaneity that recalls Bernini's lively style.
For more information on this portrait, please see Federico Zeri's 1976 catalogue no. 325, p. 452.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Don Marcello Massarenti Collection, Rome [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [1897 catalogue: no. 790, as Louis M. van Loo]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1984-1985 | Baroque Portraiture in Italy. The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 10/16/1984 | Examination | examined for loan |
Geographies
Italy, Rome (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 35 1/2 x W: 30 3/16 in. (90.1 x 76.7 cm); Painted surface H: 27 1/16 x W: 21 7/8 in. (68.7 x 55.5 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters with the Massarenti Collection, 1902
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.1832