Gentleman in Blue Coat and Waistcoat with White and Blue Stripes

Both portraits of gentlemen by Bourgeois from 1797 convey the idea that a portrait painter was required to go beyond a simple reproduction of the sitter and create harmonious and pleasant work. Therefore Bourgeois chose a waistcoat whose broadly striped pattern is particularly appropriate for the miniature format. In the portrait of the gentleman in a blue coat the stripes were painted in blue; in the one of the gentleman in a brown coat they were painted in ochre.¹ Bourgeois was primarily known for his profile portraits but was also skilled in showing his sitters from the front. Their faces are always distinctively illuminated and painted in fresh colours, thus standing out vividly against the neutral background.
B. P.