(Lyon 1657–1734 Bonn)
Portrait of a nobleman, bust-length,
pastel on paper laid down on canvas, 82 x 68 cm, unframed

Provenance:
with Gallo Fine Art, Solesino;
where acquired by the father of the present owner, early 1970s

We are grateful to Neil Jeffares for endorsing the attribution of the present pastel on the basis of a photograph.

This lively and virtuous pastel is a recent addition to the oeuvre of Joseph Vivien. The sitter’s body is turned into profile as he frontally focuses the viewer, with his mouth curled into a restrained smile. Soft, powdered curls surround his face. The blue-grey cloak is delicately folded, the heavy fabric masterfully rendered with nuanced colour transitions, highlights and shadows.

Joseph Vivien probably started his career as a portrait-painter on the advice of Charles Le Brun, whom several sources name as the artist’s teacher. Neil Jeffares has pointed out that Vivien may have turned to pastel to distinguish himself from rival portraitists such as Hyacinthe Rigaud, Nicolas de Largillière and Jean François de Troy. During his artistic activity the medium of pastel was used by few painters. Vivien became the dominant pastelist of his time, taking the medium to an unprecedented level. His pastels show a tonal range and a skilled depiction of various textures.