Description
Italian painter (second half of the 18th century) – Portrait of an elderly man with an aphorism.
Oil on canvas, without frame.
The painting bears an inscription on the open book: «Nel mondo ci sono più pazzi che savi, quei pochi savi hanno nel cervello più pazzia che saggezza» (“In the world there are more fools than wise men, and the few wise men have more folly in their brains than wisdom”).
The work depicts an elderly man shown half-length, dressed in a red embroidered robe, holding an open book displaying the legible inscription. The sitter looks toward the viewer with a slightly ironic expression. The dress and the inkwell visible on the lower edge suggest a man of standing, likely a man of letters or a public official. The aphorism is traditionally associated with Nicolas Chamfort (1741–1794), the French moralist known for his satirical wit. The pictorial execution, with the flat treatment of the red robe and the summary handling of the dark background, is consistent with Venetian portrait production of the second half of the 18th century.
Condition report: Relined canvas. Good state of conservation of the pictorial surface, with oxidation of the varnish.
