Gentleman with Walking Cane in Park

This very atmospheric portrait of a gentleman, whichcame into the Tansey Collection as a work of Périn, is attributed to thetalented French miniaturist Villers here.¹ It shows the same elegantrestraint as other works by this artist (cf. cat. nos. 2012-116 – 2012-7). Outstanding inthis miniature is the masterful creation of the evocative background; it is apark scene with trees, in which the colours blue and purple are predominant.The half-length figure, painted in vibrant colours, is silhouetted against darktowering clouds. The sitter does not reflect the surrounding turmoil in anyway. On the contrary, the young gentleman casually rests his arm on a plinth,carrying a fine stick with a silver knob in his hand.

Miniature painters were often faced with the task ofplacing their model, who was in fact sitting opposite them, in front of adifferent setting in the actual painting. The choice of background andaccessories had been discussed in advance with the client and sometimesrecorded in separate sketches. Whereas some painters nearly always portrayedtheir sitters in front of a similar background, others displayed a lot ofimagination. With Villers, the customer could choose between an interior, alandscape or a park scene and a monochrome surface. The background essentiallydetermined the portrait’s impact, for the viewer unconsciously established acorrelation between the subject and his surroundings.