Tableau Portrait Magistrat Epoque Louis XIV 14 17eme XVIII Siecle Peinture Grand Siecle

French school in the taste of Philippe de Champaigne, circa 1660

Oval portrait of a magistrate or alderman dressed in his black robe, finished at the collar with a white nilon flap with tassels. He is wearing a curly brown wig that falls broadly over his shoulders.

In contrast to the magistrate of the early 17th century, whose beard is trimmed to a point, the model here is clean-shaven, corresponding to a vogue at the beginning of the reign of Louis XIV. Only a fine moustache is visible.

The second half of the 17th century marks the heyday of flap collars, intended for the nobility of the robe (magistrates and officers of the court), but also for men of letters and science. A change in fashion took place, as the flap no longer fully covered the shoulders, but rather took on a vertical shape that narrowed around the collar.

Bibliography:
Caroline le Mao and Michel Figeac, la représentation de la magistrature sous l'Ancien Regime, 2015

Condition: oil on canvas recently restored in the studio, portrait previously foxed.