Portraits Of Men In Pendant

These two magnificent, carefully drawn portraits of elegant men do not reveal a signature but attest to a sure hand, perfectly mastering the art of portraiture.
We inevitably think of the numerous small-format portraits drawn by Jean-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867), a specialty he made in his youth.
Due to lack of annotation, the identity of the two characters is unknown to us, the desire to unite them into two pendants leads us to think that they could be brothers or from the same family but, why not also, friends or associates.
The two men are elegant and both wear a suit attesting to the fashion of the 1820s, the tie is worn tied like a scarf, the collar of the shirt called a standing collar is high, it gracefully surrounds the chin and the lower part of the face.
Both wear the frock coat, an essential attribute of the distinguished 19th century man and the chic inspired by English fashion.
The waistcoat worn under the frock coat was required and can be clearly seen in the portrait of the older of these two men, the latter also sporting a refined jewel securing his tie. Both are hairless, wearing neither a mustache nor a beard, but the older one, the one whose hair, very lightly highlighted with white gouache, attests to the graying of old age, also wears full sideburns which go down to his cheeks.
Both strike a pose, one slightly three-quarter view, the second facing forward and stare at us through time, with the seriousness demanded by the designer who immortalized their image.
Neat modern framing. Oak frame.