Unusual Portrait of a French Military Man by Eugène Leygue, 1853

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A quirky military portrait with a surprisingly rebellious streak

Dated 1853 and signed Eug. Leygue, this large oil on canvas depicts a French military gentleman in full uniform, complete with epaulettes, medals and an impressively serious moustache. At first glance, it appears to be a rather traditional military portrait. But look a little closer and the painting becomes considerably more intriguing.

The costume
The most striking detail is, of course, the enormous red lapel. It sweeps dramatically across the chest and, rather wonderfully, appears to cover one of the man's most important medals!

Whether this was simply an artistic decision, an unusual interpretation of the uniform, or a subtle act of pictorial rebellion is impossible to say. But one cannot help wondering whether our officer was particularly enthusiastic about military protocol, medals and the general business of going to war.

Was the artist simply interpreting the uniform in his own way? Or did he, perhaps with a certain amount of artistic licence, decide that the red lapel was simply more important than the medal? It is almost as if the portrait is quietly asking whether military pomp really deserves quite so much seriousness. The painting certainly has a certain irreverence about it.

The face
There is also something wonderfully peculiar about the face. His left eye has an unusual, almost slightly displaced appearance. It is difficult to tell whether the eye has been painted over at some point or whether it was simply rendered this way by the artist.

Either way, it adds to the strange and captivating character of the portrait. The result is a face that feels far more individual than the polished, idealised military portraits one usually encounters. This is not a man who has been smoothed into perfection. He looks like a person, with all the oddities that may involve.

The style
The painting has a distinctly naive, almost folk-art quality. The proportions are slightly unexpected, the brushwork is direct and expressive, and the bold red shape of the lapel creates an almost abstract composition against the dark background.

Seen from a distance, the red, black, ochre and gold forms begin to feel surprisingly modern. There is something here that feels almost proto-modernist, as if this military gentleman has accidentally wandered into a 20th-century painting.

The figure is monumental, but the treatment is not overly polished or conventionally flattering. Instead, the painting has a wonderfully direct quality. It is a portrait of a military man, certainly, but also a study in shape, colour and character.

The condition
And then there is the wear. The canvas has lived a life. It shows considerable signs of age, wear and old surface damage, but in this particular case, these imperfections seem to add rather than detract.

The cracks, losses and softened surface give the portrait an extra layer of texture and atmosphere. It feels less like a pristine historical document and more like a painting that has spent the last 170 years gathering stories.

The large giltwood frame adds to the drama, giving this wonderfully eccentric officer the grand setting he clearly believes he deserves.

The painter
And now, the final piece of the puzzle. The signature reads EUG. LEYGUE, and the date is 1853. This led us to the French painter and draughtsman Eugène Leygue (1813–1877), born in Toulouse, a pupil of Eugène Delacroix and an exhibitor at the Paris Salon.

Leygue worked in both history painting and portraiture, but this particular painting is especially intriguing. We have not been able to find another documented example of this exact portrait, making it entirely possible that this wonderfully eccentric military gentleman has been waiting quietly, somewhere, for his identity as a work by Leygue to be rediscovered.

And then there is the signature itself. Painted in large red letters, EUG. LEYGUE is not discreetly tucked away in a corner. It announces itself with almost as much confidence as the sitter's medals. Perhaps the artist knew exactly how memorable this painting was going to be.

Quirky, naive, slightly mysterious and unexpectedly modern, this is one of those paintings that becomes more intriguing the longer you look at it!

A serious military portrait, perhaps. A slightly reluctant participant in military pomp, possibly. Or simply an artist who decided that one large red lapel was more interesting than an entire chest full of medals.

Oil on canvas. Signed EUG. LEYGUE and dated 1853. In its original giltwood frame. The painting and frame show significant signs of age, wear and old surface damage, as visible in the photographs.

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