Portrait of a Man in a Chaperon

Portrait of a Man in a Chaperon

Portrait of a Man in a Chaperon

Artist:
Netherlandish Painter (1440–50)
Medium:
Oil on wood
Dimensions:
Overall 11 x 7 3/4 in. (27.9 x 19.7 cm); painted surface 10 5/8 x 7 1/4 in. (27 x 18.4 cm)
Classification:
Paintings
Credit Line:
The Jules Bache Collection, 1949

This young man wears a red turban, known as a chaperon; his attire suggests the work was painted in the 1440s. The sitter’s hands originally occupied a smaller area, but the artist adjusted their position so that they could hold a flower. The inclusion of the carnation (also known as a pink), is a sign of marital love and fidelity, suggesting that the panel originally was paired with a portrait of a woman. It is possible that it began as a standard portrait, but was changed to a betrothal portrait at the patron’s request.

Provenance
Monsieur Vermeire, Bruges (by 1867); Lodewijk Gilliodts-van Severen, Bruges (by 1902); ?Gaston Müller, Brussels; [Matthiesen, Berlin]; Zatzenstein (August 1928); [Duveen, Paris, London, and New York, until 1928; sold for $160,000 to Bache]; Jules Bache, New York (1928–d. 1944; his estate, 1944–49; cats., 1929, unnumbered; 1937, no. 25; 1943, no. 24)

Copyright Image
https://images.metmuseum.org