Portrait of a gentleman in armor - SOLD

"... an excellent portrait painter," so begins the biography of Gio Enrico Vaymer in the Lives of Genoese Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, which Carlo Giuseppe Ratti wrote based on information provided directly by the painter's son. "I declare myself indebted to him for the present news kindly brought to me;" [p.182] His first teacher was his father, Endryck Vaymer, an engraver from Kiel, who taught him drawing and subsequently entrusted him to a "Painter of mediocre ability nicknamed Schiena. But as the boy came to know what Schiena wanted, he took his leave from him and turned to a more experienced director." [p.178] Having lost his father prematurely, Vaymer left for Rome and, thanks to the introduction of a Genoese Cardinal, "was soon provided with an excellent Master, who was Gaulli." [p.178] Gaulli, noticing the talent his disciple had for portraiture, "suggested that he apply himself to these more than others. The good young man obeyed, and after a few years, he returned to Genoa so skilled in transferring any physiognomy onto canvas that he was sought after by the main figures of the city to have him paint them; and the name of Enrichetto [as he was commonly called] became so famous even among foreigners that no notable subject arrived in Genoa without wanting to be represented by his brush." [p.179] The list of Genoese patrons, Doges, Senators, Patricians, is long; in Turin, he worked first for King Vittorio Amedeo, portraying him and the entire Royal Family, then for his successor Carlo Emanuelle and countless figures of the Court, just to name a few. In Liguria, it is well known that we have the sea, the sun, and a mild climate even in winter, so after three years in Turin, Vaymer "citing as the reason the urgency of his family, who insistently called him back," asked His Majesty for permission to leave, who smiled and replied, "It is not the family that calls you back to Genoa, but rather the excessive cold that drives you away from Turin. In fact, Vaymer suffered greatly from the cold; and he used to say that if he had stayed longer in that city, he would have remained numb and frozen." [p. 180] Our painting is a typical example of a parade portrait intended to exalt the political, social status, or deeds of the subject. The gentleman depicted is a young man whose identity we do not know; he is positioned in three-quarters view, wears armor over a blue velvet dress, and is enveloped by a red cloak that encircles the figure and covers the sword that the character holds with his left hand. The face, framed by a long "courtly" wig, has an indecipherable expression, a slight sly smirk intended for someone. The high stylistic quality of the painting confirms the autography to Vaymer, datable to the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Dimensions: 100 x 77 cm Art. 19818/C