French School, Portrait Of A Clergyman. Circa 1750–1770

French School, circa 1750–1770.

Portrait of a Clergyman, Man of Letters, or Professor.

Oil on canvas, 80 cm x 65 cm. Framed, 110 cm x 90 cm.

Half-length portrait of a clergyman, man of letters, or professor, shown in three-quarter view, his gaze directed towards the viewer. The sitter wears a simple black cassock, enhanced by a white collar characteristic of the secular clergy in the 18th century. The face, rendered with delicacy, has a rosy complexion and a calm, thoughtful expression, accentuated by a powdered hairstyle typical of the period. The dark, neutral background highlights the figure in a composition of great restraint, in keeping with the mid-18th-century French taste for portraits of clergymen and notables. The brushwork is fine, with soft modeling and particular attention paid to the transitions of light on the face.