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ANTON GRAFF attr. to

PORTRAIT OF A GENTLEMAN

ANTON GRAFF
WINTERTHUR 1736 – 1813 DRESDEN

There are artists whose work resonates deeply with the atmosphere of their age. Their inner sensitivity allows them to perceive and express with unusual clarity the currents that define their epoch. For 18th-century Germany, for the age of the Enlightenment, Anton Graff was such a figure. Born in Winterthur, Switzerland, in 1736, he revealed his artistic gifts early. After first training in his hometown and in Augsburg, Graff undertook formative journeys to Munich. There he encountered the refined portraiture of Joseph Vivien and Georges Desmarées, which revealed to him a model of elevated style.

Graff’s own manner grew from this experience, blending the aristocratic ease of French portraiture with the analytical precision of German psychological observation. His talent was soon recognised: in 1766 he was invited to Dresden as court portraitist (a post vacant since the death of Louis de Silvestre in 1760) and to take charge of the portrait class at the Dresden Academy of Arts. From that moment his life became inseparable from Dresden. There he produced his finest portraits, acquired a house, established a family, and built the foundations of his reputation.

This portrait, with its balance of natural elegance and psychological insight, is characteristic of Graff’s Dresden period. It is therefore plausible that the work was executed in Dresden, where the artist developed his most accomplished style.

Condition report
A fine 18th-century portrait, preserved to the present day in a less than optimal condition. The surface shows numerous repaints; there are significant paint losses in the lower part of the canvas, on the left side of the background, and on the sitter’s wig. The canvas has been relined, accidents and restaurations.

Oil on canvas
76 x 60 cm / 29.9 x 23.6 without frame

PROVENANCE
Private collection. Spain

Base: Canvas

Epoque: XVIII century

Genre: Portrait

School: Swiss

School: German

Technic: Oil