18th century French school, Directoire period portrait of a man

18th century French school, portrait of an aristocrat wearing a red English-style suit with a blue collar, decorated with silver buttons simulating wickerwork, and a very fine lace cravat. The wig was fashionable at the very end of the Louis XVI or Directoire period. Posing in three-quarter view, our handsome man is also wearing a gold earring. The oval-format oil-on-canvas portrait is presented in its original gold-gilded molded oak frame, with its original wrought-iron ring. Late 18th century, circa 1790.

A fine painting, very well executed, the subject is a handsome man, the red jacket creates a very colorful effect.

The presence of the earring remains a mystery that is still poorly explained: it was fashionable at the very end of the 18th century, even among the highest social classes (we find portraits of Louis XVI, the Marquis de Lafayette, Axel de Fersen with a gold ring). The imagination often associates it with sailors, (with two possible interpretations: to signify that the sailor has traveled extensively, and in particular crossed the equator, or to pay for a decent grave should the sailor perish far from home), or as a sign of recognition of a caste such as that of 18th-century Freemasonry, or quite simply as a coquetry, a fashion in high society at the very end of the 18th century.

Frame dimensions: 72.7 by 87.5cm
Canvas dimensions: 57 by 72cm