Portrait of a gentleman circa 1720 - Attributed to Robert Levrac de Tounières (1667-1752)

18th century French school attributed to Robert Levrac de Tounières (1667; 1752) Portrait of a gentleman circa 1720

Canvas 85 cm by 68 cm
Very beautiful old frame of 99 cm by 82 cm

This superb painting offers us a standing gentleman, his right hand on the back of an armchair. He is richly dressed in velvet and silk brocade. The representation is very neat in every detail, the colors are shimmering, the whole is very elegant. Note an originality with part of the tie that creeps into the buttonhole of the waistcoat.

Robert Levrac de Tounières (1667; 1752)

His father, an engraver by trade, had married a widow, the mother of François Lemoyne, of whom he was to be the first master. After completing his classical studies, he entered the studio of one of his parents, a mediocre painter, whom he soon surpassed.
A pupil of Lucas Delahaye, then of Bon de Boulogne and Hyacinthe Rigaud, Tournières was received twice at the Royal Academy of Painting in 1702, as a portrait painter and on October 24, 1716, as a painter of history. Student of Rigaud therefore for whom he worked in the famous workshop for two years (1698 and 1699)
With a real talent as a physiognomist and painter, Tournières enjoyed a very great reputation during his lifetime. Highly sought after in his time, he was the portrait painter of the Regent, chancellors, many political personalities and left more than two hundred portraits preserved for the most part in private collections. His numerous portraits representing characters of various classes: ministers, magistrates, ladies of the court, artists, merchants. With a delicate color, a perfect suitability in pose and fit, a beautiful elegance in the draperies, he is a recognized and appreciated artist. He gave the French expression of the portrait a particular truth and vigor.