{"product_id":"antique-military-man-portrait-eug-leygue","title":"Unusual Portrait of a French Military Man by Eugène Leygue, 1853","description":"\u003ch3\u003eA quirky military portrait with a surprisingly rebellious streak\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDated 1853\u003c\/strong\u003e and signed \u003cstrong\u003eEug. Leygue\u003c\/strong\u003e, 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 \u003cem\u003emore intriguing.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe costume\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe most striking detail is, of course, \u003cstrong\u003ethe enormous red lapel\u003c\/strong\u003e. It sweeps \u003cem\u003edramatically\u003c\/em\u003e across the chest and, rather wonderfully, appears to cover one of the man's most important medals!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhether this was simply an \u003cem\u003eartistic decision\u003c\/em\u003e, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWas the artist simply interpreting the uniform in his own way? Or did he, perhaps with a certain amount of \u003cem\u003eartistic licence\u003c\/em\u003e, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe face\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere is also something \u003cem\u003ewonderfully peculiar \u003c\/em\u003eabout 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEither way, it adds to \u003cem\u003ethe strange and captivating character \u003c\/em\u003eof 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 \u003cem\u003eoddities that may involve.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe style\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe painting has a distinctly \u003cstrong\u003enaive, almost folk-art quality\u003c\/strong\u003e. 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeen 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 \u003cem\u003ea 20th-century painting.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe figure is monumental, but the treatment is not overly polished or conventionally flattering. Instead, the painting has a \u003cem\u003ewonderfully direct quality\u003c\/em\u003e. It is a portrait of a military man, certainly, but also \u003cstrong\u003ea study in shape, colour and character\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe condition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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 \u003cstrong\u003ethe last 170 years\u003c\/strong\u003e gathering stories.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003elarge giltwood frame\u003c\/strong\u003e adds to the drama, giving this wonderfully eccentric officer the grand setting he clearly believes he deserves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe painter\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd now, the final piece of the puzzle. The signature reads \u003cstrong\u003eEUG. LEYGUE\u003c\/strong\u003e, and the date is\u003cstrong\u003e 1853\u003c\/strong\u003e. This led us to the French painter and draughtsman Eugène Leygue (1813–1877), born in Toulouse, a pupil of \u003cem\u003eEugène Delacroix\u003c\/em\u003e and an exhibitor at the Paris Salon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLeygue worked in both history painting and portraiture, but this particular painting is \u003cem\u003eespecially intriguing\u003c\/em\u003e. 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuirky, naive, slightly mysterious and unexpectedly modern\u003c\/strong\u003e, this is one of those paintings that becomes more intriguing the longer you look at it!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA 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 \u003cem\u003ean entire chest full of medals.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOil on canvas. Signed EUG. LEYGUE and dated 1853. In its original giltwood frame. \u003c\/strong\u003eThe painting and frame show significant signs of age, wear and old surface damage, as visible in the photographs.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wildschut Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47745194918188,"sku":"Paint-2345","price":2880.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0843\/7930\/4236\/files\/Wildschut-Antiques-Large-Portrait-Military-Man-DEF.jpg?v=1784567258","url":"https:\/\/wildschut-antiques.com\/products\/antique-military-man-portrait-eug-leygue","provider":"Wildschut Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}