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Portrait of a Man   Francesco di Cristofano, called Franciabigio (1484–1525)

Portrait of a Man

Francesco di Cristofano, called Franciabigio (1484–1525)

1517

this site may contain automatically translated text
Porträt eines Mannes

Franciabigio, who died at the relatively early age of 41, belonged to the same generation as such notable Florentine artists as Andrea del Sarto, Rosso Fiorentino and Pontormo. What is more, he worked alongside them on major commissions for the atrium of the church of the Santissima Annunziata, the Chiostro dello Scalzo, the Medici villa at Poggio a Caiano, and the Benintendi bedroom. At his best he was a very gifted painter, but he has arguably never been given his due.
One of the areas in which he excelled was portraiture, and while it is not hard to see a kinship between his efforts in this line and those of Andrea del Sarto around the same time, Franciabigio’s is an entirely distinctive voice. In the present work, which unusually for the artist is painted on fine canvas as opposed to panel, the psychological intensity of the sitter’s brooding, melancholy aspect is positively enhanced by the rigorous absence of potentially distracting attributes or background details. Instead, the man is seen in close-up, dressed in austere shades of black and white and set against a neutral green backdrop, which is only enlivened by a small piece of curling paper affixed to the wall by a dot of red sealing wax. It bears neither signature nor monogram but, rather, the year 1517 in Roman capitals (‘A.D.M.D.XVII’), followed by ‘D.X.S’, presumably standing for ‘Die X Septembris’ (10 September).

Material/technique
oil on canvas
Measurements
55 × 40 cm
Acquisition
acquired in 1879 by Prince Johann II von Liechtenstein
Artists/makers/authors
Francesco di Cristofano, called Franciabigio
Highlight
Detailed information
Inventory number
GE 851
Provenance
acquired in 1879 by Prince Johann II von Liechtenstein from the estate of Marchese Gino Capponi, Florence
Iconography
male portrait, not identified
Literature
J. Burckhardt, Der Cicerone. Eine Anleitung zum Genuss der Kunstwerke Italiens, Bd. 3, Bd. Bd. 3, Leipzig 1869, S. 900

G. Morelli, Kunstkritische Studien über italienische Malerei, Bd. 1, Bd. Bd. 1, Leipzig 1891, S. 126

Wilhelm Bode, Die Fürstlich Liechtenstein'sche Galerie in Wien, Wien 1896, S. 73

B. Berenson, The Florentine Painters of the Renaissance, 2. Aufl., New York 1904, S. 116

Karl Höss, Fürst Johann II. von Liechtenstein und die bildende Kunst, Wien 1908, S. 40-41, Abb. 3

B. Berenson, The Florentine Painters of the Renaissance, 3. Aufl., 3. Aufl., New York 1909, S. 135

G. Gronau, U. Thieme - F. Becker, Bd. 12, Bd. Bd. 12, Leipzig 1916, S. 326

A. Venturi, Storia dell'arte italiana, Bd. IX, 1, Bd. Bd. IX, Mailand 1925, S. 442, Abb. 327

Adolf Kronfeld, Führer durch die Fürstlich Liechtensteinsche Gemäldegalerie in Wien, 3. Aufl., Wien 1931, S. 167, Kat. 851

B. Berenson, Italian pictures of the Renaissance, Oxford 1932, S. 211

B. Berenson, Pitture italiane del Rinascimento. Catalogo dei principali artisti e delle loro opere con un indice dei luoghi, Mailand 1936, S. 181

S. J. Freedberg, Painting of the High Renaissance in Rome and Florence, Bd. 1, Bd. Bd. 1, Cambridge 1961, S. 483, Abb. 585

B. Berenson, Italian pictures of the Renaissance, Florentine School, London 1963, S. 66, Abb. 1368

F. Sricchia Santoro, Per il Franciabigio, in: Paragone XIV, 163 1963, S. 14

Susan Regan McKillop, Franciabigio (California Studies in the History of Art), Berkeley–Los Angeles–London 1974, S. 214 (als nicht von Franciabigio)

Reinhold Baumstark, Meisterwerke der Sammlungen des Fürsten von Liechtenstein. Gemälde, Zürich–München 1980, S. 49, Kat.-Nr. 6, Tafel 6

Keith Christiansen, Ausst.-Kat. Liechtenstein. The Princely Collections, New York 1985, S. 194-197, Kat. 125

Ausst.-Kat. Fünf Jahrhunderte italienische Kunst aus den Sammlungen des Fürsten von Liechtenstein, Uwe Wieczorek (Hg.), Liechtensteinische Staatliche Kunstsammlung, Vaduz 1994, erschienen Bern 1994, S. 38-39 u. 149, Kat. 12

Johann Kräftner, Andrea Stockhammer, Liechtenstein Museum Wien. Le Collezioni, München 2004, S. 173, Abb. S. S. 136 u. 155, Kat. V.12

Johann Kräftner, Andrea Stockhammer, Liechtenstein Museum Vienna. The Collections, Johann Kräftner (Hg.), München–Berlin–London–New York 2004, S. 173, Abb. S. S. 136 u. 155, Kat. V.12

Johann Kräftner, Andrea Stockhammer, Liechtenstein Museum Wien. Die Sammlungen, Johann Kräftner (Hg.), München–Berlin–London–New York 2004, S. 173, Abb. S. S. 136 u. 155, Kat. V.12

Ausst.-Kat. I Principi e le Arti. Dipinti e sculture dalle Collezioni Liechtenstein, Johann Kräftner, Reinhold Baumstark, Maraike Bückling, Guy C. Bauman, Keith Christiansen, u.a., Lavinia M. Galli Michero (Hg.), Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Mailand 28.9.2006–17.12.2006, erschienen Mailand 2007, S. 30, Abb. 31, Kat. 1

Ausst.-Kat. The Princes and the Arts. Paintings and Sculptures from the Liechtenstein Collections, Johann Kräftner, Reinhold Baumstark, Maraike Bückling, Guy C. Bauman, Keith Christiansen, Fernando Mazzoca u.a., Lavinia M. Galli Michero (Hg.), Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milan 28.9.2006–17.12.2006, erschienen Milano 2007, S. 30, Abb. 31, Kat. 1

Johann Kräftner, Die Schätze der Liechtenstein. Paläste, Gemälde, Skulpturen, Wien 2013, Abb. S. 336

Johann Kräftner, The Treasures of the Liechtensteins. Palaces, Paintings, Sculptures, Vienna 2013

Ausst.-Kat. Les Collections du Prince de Liechtenstein. Cranach, Raphael, Rubens, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Vernet, Hubert Robert, Vigée-Lebrun, Fonds Mercator (Hg.), Caumont Centre d’Art, Aix-en-Provence 7.11.2015–20.3.2016, erschienen Brüssel 2015, S. 66–67, Kat.-Nr. 3

Ausst.-Kat. Menschenbilder – Götterwelten. The Worlds of Gods and Men, Johann Kräftner (Hg.), Dom Quartier Salzburg (Residenzgalerie Salzburg und Nordoratorium), Salzburg 30.7.–16.10.2016, erschienen Wien 2016, S. 200–201, Kat.-Nr. 45

Ausst.-Kat. Menschenbilder – Götterwelten. The Worlds of Gods and Men, Johann Kräftner (Hg.), Dom Quartier Salzburg (Residenzgalerie Salzburg und Nordoratorium), Salzburg 30.7.–16.10.2016, erschienen Wien 2016, S. 200–201, Kat.-Nr. 45

Ausst.-Kat. Liechtenstein. Die Fürstlichen Sammlungen, Regula Berger, Matthias Frehner und Rainer Lawicki (Hg.), Kunstmuseum, Bern 12.11.2016–19.3.2017, erschienen München 2016, S. 57, Kat.-Nr. 16

Ausst.-Kat. Von Rubens bis Makart. Die Fürstlichen Sammlungen Liechtenstein, Klaus Albrecht Schröder (Hg.), Albertina, Wien 16.2.2019–10.6.2019, erschienen Köln 2019, S. 66–68, Kat.-Nr. 7

Ausst.-Kat. From Rubens to Makart. LIECHTENSTEIN. The Princely Collections, Klaus Albrecht Schröder (Hg.), Albertina, Wien 16.2.2019–10.6.2019, erschienen Köln 2019, S. 66–68, Kat.-Nr. 7

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