Portrait Of A Gentleman, Early 19th Century

A beautiful portrait of a gentleman writing a letter, seated at his desk.
Oil on canvas (re-stretched), signed by François Van DORNE (1776–1848) and dated 1828.
The painting depicts a gentleman, elegantly dressed and wearing the hairstyle of his time, seated at his desk covered with a beautiful tablecloth in shimmering colors, a quill in hand, writing a letter.
Near him is a porcelain inkwell made in Paris, white and gold.
Behind the figure—to add perspective and depth, and no doubt related to this man—is a potted orange tree set against a cloudy sky, and on the right, a solid brown background reminiscent of draped fabrics.
Of particular note are the expressive facial features and the remarkably rendered hands.
In its original stuccoed and gilded wooden frame, in very fine condition.
Signed “François Van Dorne” on the tablecloth and dated 1828
A beautiful portrait of a fine size.
In good overall condition.

Dimensions of the canvas: 79 cm x 62 cm
Dimensions with frame: 94 cm x 77 cm


François VAN DORNE
Flemish School
born in Leuven on April 10, 1776 and died in the same city on November 30, 1848; he was a Flemish painter of portraits and religious subjects, also known for his still lifes.
He trained in Paris under the French Neoclassical painter Jacques-Louis David.
Van Dorne worked in Paris until 1822, when he returned to his hometown of Leuven.
François Van Dorne was the son of Martin Van Dorne and Petronilla Ekermans. His father, a renowned still-life painter, was appointed court painter by Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, governor of the Austrian Netherlands.
He was introduced to painting by his father, then studied under Pieter-Jozef Verhaghen, a painter of history and portraits in the Baroque style and court painter to Maria Theresa of Austria.
Verhaghen was then a professor at the Academy of Leuven, founded in October 1800 by Van Dorne’s father together with Verhaghen and other painters.
Van Dorne won the prize for “drawing from classical models” at the Academy in 1802. Thanks to this prize, he had the financial resources
necessary to continue his studies in Paris.
In Paris, he was one of the students chosen by Jacques-Louis DAVID, a French Neoclassical painter. He remained in the capital for a long time to work.
In 1800, he received a commission from the magistrates of his hometown of Leuven to paint a full-length portrait of Emperor Napoleon. In 1808, Van Dorne submitted a mythological painting depicting Venus to the 1808 Paris Salon.
The work was poorly received by critics, and from that point on, the artist decided to devote himself exclusively to portrait painting.
Van Dorne married Maria Theresia Bastiné, the sister of the painter Jean Baptiste Bastiné of Leuven, an artist who had also studied under David in Paris at about the same time as Van Dorne.
Van Dorne remained in Paris until 1822, when he returned to his hometown of Leuven. He produced a large number of portraits until the end of his career.
He died in Leuven on November 30, 1848.
François Van Dorne was primarily a portrait painter, and his works show the influence of French Classicism, which he studied under David in France.