Portrait of an Adolescent Boy, 1621
Ottavio Leoniexpand_more
Red, black, white, and brown chalk on faded blue paper, laid downexpand_more
Bequest of Professor Alfred Moirexpand_more 2012.58.26
Not on Viewexpand_more
Ottavio Leoni was a prolific, sensitive portraitist in 17th-century Rome, executing portrait drawings from life and etchings of the city's aristocrats, clerics, and artists. His preferred medium was "à trois crayons," combining black, red, and white chalk, often on blue paper, here faded, and he has additionally incorporated brown chalk in the long locks of the teenage sitter. The inscriptions indicate that the present portrait was executed in July ("luglio") of 1621--the year mostly cropped at lower edge, but confirmed by the artist's numbering system (see number "195").
Scholar and collector Alfred Moir (2000) observed that the sitter's "complacent expression, starched collar, and tailored doublet characterize him as prosperous and probably of a privileged class." Moir suggested his plump face has a familial resemblance with Paolo Giordano II Orsini, duke of Bracciano (1591–1656), a flamboyant figure in Rome whom Leoni represented in at least four surviving portrait drawings as well as a number of etchings. The sitter is too young to be Orsini and too old to be his son, but he might be Paolo Giordano II's younger brother and ultimate heir, Ferdinando Orsini (before 1606–1660), duke of Bracciano from 1656 to 1660.
Details
- Title
- Portrait of an Adolescent Boy
- Artist Life
- (Rome), 1578 - 1630
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2012.58.26
- Provenance
- The artist, Rome (until d. 1630); 'his son, Ippolito Leoni, Rome (1630; sold September 9, with large group of Ottavio's paintings and drawings, for 500 scudi, to Borghese); 'Cardinal Scipione Borghese, Rome (1630-d. 1633); 'by descent to Prince Marcantonio Borghese, Rome (1633-d.1658). 'Monsieur d'Aubigny (until 1747; sold and dispersed Leoni works). Marquis Philippe de Chennevières, Lugt 2072 (1820-1899), Orne, France. Sale, Sotheby's, London, July 4, 1975, no. 64, for £750, to Moir; Alfred Moir, Santa Barbara (1975-d. 2010; bequeathed to Mia)
- Curator Approved
This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know
Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.