Portrait of a Man
Attribution
Diego Velázquez
(Spanish, 1599-1660)
CultureSpanish
Dateca. 1651-52
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 25 1/4 x 17 1/2 in. (64.1 x 44.5 cm)
Overall, Frame: 35 1/4 x 28 1/4 x 3 in. (89.5 x 71.8 x 7.6 cm)
Overall, Frame: 35 1/4 x 28 1/4 x 3 in. (89.5 x 71.8 x 7.6 cm)
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number83.587
Collections
Not on view
DescriptionAn oil on canvas bust-length portrait of and unidentified gentleman, who is is dressed in a black doublet and flaring white linen collar.Label TextDiego Velázquez Spanish, 1599-1660 Portrait of a Man, ca. 1651–52 Oil on canvas Is this the work of famed Spanish artist Diego Velázquez? Scholars continue to debate the question. Most cite the portrait’s austere realism, its fluent brushwork, and the intensity of the subject in order to attribute the painting to the Spanish master, and some even claim the sitter is the artist’s colleague Juan Francisco Pimentel, the Count of Benavente. But others hedge their bets, awaiting further study. You might compare it with another Portrait of a Man recently confirmed as a work by the artist. What do you think? Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 83.587 ProvenanceEdouard Warnecke, Paris; Galerie Durand-Ruel, Paris, 1892; Charles H. Senff, New York; Anderson Galleries Sale, New York, March 28-29, 1928 (lot 24); Scott Collection, New York; Alvan T. Fuller, Boston; Duveen Brothers, New York; Baron Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, Schloss Rohoncz, Hungary; Foundation Château de Rohoncz, Lugano-Castagnola (cat. no. 434); M. Knoedler and Co., New York, 1954; Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., 1972; Gift of Walter P. Chrysler to The Chrysler Museum, 1983. Exhibition History"Ausstellung der Sammlung Schloss Rohoncz," Die Neue Pinakothek, Munich, Summer, 1930. (Exhib. cat. no. 334). "El Greco to Goya," John Herron Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Feb. 10 - March 24, 1963; Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art, April 19 - May 26, 1963. (Exhib. cat. no. 81). "Treasures from The Chrysler Museum at Norfolk and Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.," Tennessee Fine Arts Center at Cheekwood, Nashville, Tenn., June 12 - Sept. 5, 1977. (Exhib. cat. no. 10). "Golden Gala," The Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, N.Y., Sept. 27 - Oct. 13, 1982. (Exhib. cat. not numbered). "From Veneziano to Pollock: Ten Masterworks," Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, May 18 - June 24, 1984. (Exhib. cat. pp. 14-16). "Behind the Seen: The Chrysler's Hidden Museum," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., October 21, 2005 - February 19, 2006. "Americans in Spain: Painting and Travel 1820-1920," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, February 12 - May 16, 2021; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI, June 11 - October 3, 2021. Published ReferencesEric M. Zafran and Mario Amaya. _Treasures from the Chrysler Museum at Norfolk and Walter P. Chrysler, Jr._. Tennessee Fine Arts Center at Cheekwood, Nashville. 1977. No. 10. * See for further references. Jose Gudiol. _The Complete Paintings of Velazquez 1599-1660_. New York, 1983, pp. 212, 336, #124. European painting entries by Thomas W. Sokolowski and American painting entries by Thomas W. Styron. _From Veneziano to Pollock: Masterworks Donated to the Chrysler Museum by Walter P. Chrysler, Jr._. Norfolk, VA: The Chrysler Museum. 1984: pp. 14-16. David W. Steadman, Director. "Ten Masterworks!" _Chrysler Museum Bulletin_. Vol. 14, no. 6. Norfolk: Chrysler Museum. 06/1984. Supplément. "La Chronique des Arts: Principales Acquisitions des Musées en 1984," _Gazette des Beaux-Arts_. VI Période, Tome CV, no. 1394. 03/1985:pp. 26-75. Jefferson C. Harrison. _The Chrysler Museum Handbook of the European and American Collections: Selected Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings_. The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA, 1991, p. 39, #31. Brandon Ruud and Corey Piper, Americans in Spain: Painting and Travel 1820-1920, exh cat. (New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 2020)
ca. 1615
