Jacob Ferdinand Voet
A young Gentleman, wearing silver-gilt armour and a large, pink silk bow, c. 1680-85
Oil on copper
Oval, 3 1/4in (82mm) high
Philip Mould & Co.
To view all current artworks for sale visit philipmould.com Antwerp-born artist Jacob-Ferdinand Voet began the upward trajectory in his career as a portraitist when he arrived in Rome in...
To view all current artworks for sale visit philipmould.com
Antwerp-born artist Jacob-Ferdinand Voet began the upward trajectory in his career as a portraitist when he arrived in Rome in 1663. He quickly gained a following of important patrons, including Queen Christina of Sweden who was then living in the city. Grand Tour aristocracy flocked to his studio until, in 1678, Pope Innocent XI Odaleschi banned him from Rome on the grounds that his 'paintbrush was a tool of lasciviousness' and his house 'continually thronged with ladies and cavaliers buying portraits'. Heading North to Milan and Turin, Voet continued to make a name for himself, painting flamboyant and luminescent portraits, until he accepted an appointment in Paris as Court Painter to Louis XIV. It is likely that this portrait was painted shortly after Voet left Italy for France. In technique, it is close to the small oil on copper of an unknown Gentleman sold Bonham’s, London, 7 December 2005 (lot 4)[1], which dates to the artist’s last years in Italy. The sitter’s fashion, however, relates closely to the circle of Louis, Count of Vermandois (eldest illegitimate son of Louis XIV of France and his mistress Louise de la Valliere) and his uncle, Philippe I, Duc d ’Orleans. Another devotee of this distinctive fashion was Philippe de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme (1655–1727).[2] The pink, silk bow over armour is worn in portraits by distinguished men who were close to the King.
Even given the spacial confines of this oil on copper portrait, Voet’s characteristic grandiosity and fluid brushwork shine through. Famously affable, Voet’s easy manner also appears to have transformed the customary formality in portraits of the period into relaxed depictions of the court set. The current work is now exception, showing the young sitter in conventional armour set off with an extravagant and overbearing pink, silk bow.
Voet’s Parisian career was cut short by his sudden death, at the age of 50, now established to have occurred shortly before 12 October 1789.[3] On his death he was described as ‘pitture del Ré’ (portraitist to Louis XIV).
This small portrait is a rare example of Voet working on metal. Like his near-contemporary, Cornelius Johnson (1593-1661) he seems to have had some patrons who required portable portraits. His itinerant career may have also necessitated working on this scale while he moved from city to city and re-established his studio.
[1] The date on the work sold at Bonhams was circa 1675-80 as given by Voet’s biographer, Francesco Petrucci, who also endorsed the attribution for the current work from digital images.
[2] The portrait of Philippe de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme by Voet was sold Christie’s, London, 8 December 2010, lot 121. See F. Petrucci, Ferdinand Voet, Rome, 2005.
[3] Geddo, Cristina. “New Light on the Career of Jacob-Ferdinand Voet.” The Burlington Magazine 143, no. 1176 (2001): 138–44. The death date for Voet was discovered by E. Toliopoulou and published for the first time in her Master Thesis in the Sorbonne in Paris, 1991.
Antwerp-born artist Jacob-Ferdinand Voet began the upward trajectory in his career as a portraitist when he arrived in Rome in 1663. He quickly gained a following of important patrons, including Queen Christina of Sweden who was then living in the city. Grand Tour aristocracy flocked to his studio until, in 1678, Pope Innocent XI Odaleschi banned him from Rome on the grounds that his 'paintbrush was a tool of lasciviousness' and his house 'continually thronged with ladies and cavaliers buying portraits'. Heading North to Milan and Turin, Voet continued to make a name for himself, painting flamboyant and luminescent portraits, until he accepted an appointment in Paris as Court Painter to Louis XIV. It is likely that this portrait was painted shortly after Voet left Italy for France. In technique, it is close to the small oil on copper of an unknown Gentleman sold Bonham’s, London, 7 December 2005 (lot 4)[1], which dates to the artist’s last years in Italy. The sitter’s fashion, however, relates closely to the circle of Louis, Count of Vermandois (eldest illegitimate son of Louis XIV of France and his mistress Louise de la Valliere) and his uncle, Philippe I, Duc d ’Orleans. Another devotee of this distinctive fashion was Philippe de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme (1655–1727).[2] The pink, silk bow over armour is worn in portraits by distinguished men who were close to the King.
Even given the spacial confines of this oil on copper portrait, Voet’s characteristic grandiosity and fluid brushwork shine through. Famously affable, Voet’s easy manner also appears to have transformed the customary formality in portraits of the period into relaxed depictions of the court set. The current work is now exception, showing the young sitter in conventional armour set off with an extravagant and overbearing pink, silk bow.
Voet’s Parisian career was cut short by his sudden death, at the age of 50, now established to have occurred shortly before 12 October 1789.[3] On his death he was described as ‘pitture del Ré’ (portraitist to Louis XIV).
This small portrait is a rare example of Voet working on metal. Like his near-contemporary, Cornelius Johnson (1593-1661) he seems to have had some patrons who required portable portraits. His itinerant career may have also necessitated working on this scale while he moved from city to city and re-established his studio.
[1] The date on the work sold at Bonhams was circa 1675-80 as given by Voet’s biographer, Francesco Petrucci, who also endorsed the attribution for the current work from digital images.
[2] The portrait of Philippe de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme by Voet was sold Christie’s, London, 8 December 2010, lot 121. See F. Petrucci, Ferdinand Voet, Rome, 2005.
[3] Geddo, Cristina. “New Light on the Career of Jacob-Ferdinand Voet.” The Burlington Magazine 143, no. 1176 (2001): 138–44. The death date for Voet was discovered by E. Toliopoulou and published for the first time in her Master Thesis in the Sorbonne in Paris, 1991.
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