The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 16, 2024

Portrait of a man in profile, turned to the left

Portrait of a man in profile, turned to the left

1632–34
(French, 1590–1649)
France
black and white chalks, red, pink and yellow pastel on light brown paper
Image: 27.5 x 20.8 cm (10 13/16 x 8 3/16 in.); Sheet: 49.4 x 38.6 cm (19 7/16 x 15 3/16 in.)
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2021.133
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Simon Vouet drew portraits of courtiers at the express request of King Louis XIII, who wanted to observe him in order to learn how to draw.

Description

Simon Vouet characterized this sitter, likely an advisor to the court of King Louis XIII, with a spontaneous pose and specific facial expression. The man’s distinguishing features are his deeply lined, almond-shaped eyes, and unruly head of hair, whose top has been flattened forward by the hat, which he holds to his side. Vouet introduced a more naturalistic mode of portraiture to France when he returned to Paris in 1627 after fourteen years in Rome. His typically frank presentations dissolved the space between the artist and sitter.
  • 1649
    Atelier of the artist, Paris, France
    Count Camille de Tournon-Simiane (1778-1833)
    by descent to the previous owners, France
    May 27, 2020
    Christie’s, Paris, France
    September 13, 2021-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Portrait of a man in profile, turned to the left|url=false|author=Simon Vouet|year=1632–34|access-date=16 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2021.133