Catalogue Roberti Fine Art, TEFAF Maastricht 2026 (1) compressed - Flipbook - Page 86
22
LOMBARD SCHOOL,
FIRST QUARTER OF THE 17TH CENTURY
Portrait of a man, head and shoulders,
ìn a black costume with white collar
oil on copper, oval
6.4 x 5.1 cm.
PROVENANCE
Anonymous sale, Bonham’s in London, 6 December 2006,
lot 12 (as circle of Carlo Ceresa), where acquired by the previous owners.
The sitter, shown bust length against a softly modulated ground, is presented with direct and
unembellished naturalism. His close-cropped hair, narrow moustache, and pointed goatee
conform to the sober fashions of the period, while the restrained black doublet and modest white
collar reinforce an impression of measured decorum rather than aristocratic display. The absence
of heraldry or overt insignia suggests a cultivated professional or gentleman rather than a member
of the high nobility.
The handling of the face is particularly characteristic of Lombard painting around 1600–1620.
Subtle tonal gradations model the cheeks and brow, and the warm, slightly ruddy flesh tones are
set against the cool, neutral background. The direct gaze recalls the psychological immediacy
cultivated in Milanese circles following the development of late sixteenth-century naturalism.
86
