Portrait of a Seated Gentleman
Encyclopedia
Portrait of a Seated Gentleman is a portrait painted by Nicolas Benjamin Delapierre
in 1785. Neither the subject nor the provenance
before 1928 are known.
). The portrait was painted several years before Mirabeau achieved prominence.
Both the subject of the painting and the pre-1928 provenance are being researched by Omnis, Inc.
.
Nicolas Benjamin Delapierre
Nicolas Benjamin Delapierre was a well-known and highly regarded French artist during the second half of the 18th century.-Career:...
in 1785. Neither the subject nor the provenance
Provenance
Provenance, from the French provenir, "to come from", refers to the chronology of the ownership or location of an historical object. The term was originally mostly used for works of art, but is now used in similar senses in a wide range of fields, including science and computing...
before 1928 are known.
Description
The canvas, signed B. N. De La Pierre, is dated 1785 and measures 29-1/2 inches (height) by 24-1/2 inches (width). It shows an 18th-century gentleman sitting at a desk and beginning to write on a single sheet of paper. On the desk in the foreground is displayed a copy of De la Caisse d’Escompte, a financial pamphlet published on 17 May 1785 by the French orator and statesman Mirabeau (Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de MirabeauHonoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau
Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau was a French revolutionary, as well as a writer, diplomat, freemason, journalist and French politician at the same time. He was a popular orator and statesman. During the French Revolution, he was a moderate, favoring a constitutional monarchy built on...
). The portrait was painted several years before Mirabeau achieved prominence.
Both the subject of the painting and the pre-1928 provenance are being researched by Omnis, Inc.
Omnis, Inc.
Omnis, Inc. is a technical and scientific consulting and training firm. It also has a concentration in market intelligence and the emerging field of threat finance. It was founded in 2004 and has clients in government, academia and private industry....
Provenance
The provenance before 1928 is unknown.- 1 October 1928, Ugo Bardini (son of the art collector Stefano Bardini) sells to the art dealer
- 5 March 1929, Thos. Agnew & Sons sells to art collector and New York Philharmonic Orchestra conductor Josef StranskyJosef StránskýJosef Stransky was a Czech conductor, composer, and art collector/dealer who moved to the United States and conducted the New York Philharmonic from 1911 to 1923.-Biography:...
- 6 March 1936, passes to Stransky’s widow, Marie Stransky, upon his death
- 16 October 1954, following Mrs. Stransky's death, Parke-Bernet GalleriesSotheby'sSotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
in New York sells to entrepreneur and art collector, O. Roy ChalkO. Roy ChalkOscar Roy Chalk was a New York entrepreneur who owned real estate, airlines, bus companies, newspapers and a rail line that hauled bananas in Central America... - 1 December 1995, passes to Claire Chalk upon the death of her husband
- 14 April 1996, Mrs. Chalk sells at auction to an anonymous buyer at C. G. Sloan & Company in Bethesda, Maryland
Subject
Speculation that the painting may depict Mirabeau, the author of the pamphlet, is refuted by comparing the sitter to known images of Mirabeau. Some believe the painting to be the earliest known portrait of Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
.