Oil painting, 'A Man Wearing a Red Coat', Luca Carlevarijs, ca. 1700-ca. 1710

A man wearing a red coat and stockings, a black tricorned hat and a sword at his waist.

Purchased from the funds of Captain H. B. Murray's bequest.

Purchased, 1938

Historical significance: A man wearing a red coat and stockings, a black tricorned hat and a sword at his waist. It is one of Carlevarijs’ studies known as macchiette, the quick sketches he made with daubs of colour to indicate animated Venetian figures. Carlevarijs first drew the figures on paper, copying them from people he saw in the streets and then transformed them into lively oil sketches, such as this one, which represent a crucial part of his artistic process. Studies such as these would ultimately form part of a Venetian veduta or prospect painting, which is a genre Carlevarijs is generally credited with establishing in the eighteenth century. He populated his vedute with elegantly posed and well-dressed figures, concealing the decline of the Republic under the splendour of the pageants, festivals and regattas he often represented. The tricorne hat was a popular style during the late 17th century and 18th century, falling out of style shortly before the French Revolution. At the peak of its popularity, it was worn as civilian dress and as part of military and naval uniforms. The tricorne appeared as a result of the evolution of the broad brim round hat used by Spanish soldiers in Flanders during the 17th century. By pledging the brims, a triangular shape was obtained, and since the corners offered protection from the rainy Flemish weather, this shape was favored by Spanish soldiers. From there, during the military struggles between the French and the Spaniards, its use spread to the French armies, and King Louis XIV made it fashionable throughout Europe, both as a civil and military wear. Figures in very similar dress appear for example in Carlevarijs' paintings depicting the Entry of foreign Embassies such as Spain and France into the Palazzo Ducale, Venice.
Carlevarijs' sketches also demonstrate his great influence on Canaletto, whose figures and their arrangement often show a marked debt to the older Master such as in Venice: The Feast Day of Saint Roch ca. 1735 (National Gallery, London, NG937).

This work is part of an album of fifty-three sketches by Carlevarijs which includes figures he appears to have painted in the open air in preparation for insertion into formal compositions. The figures and objects appear frequently and virtually without variations in his paintings between 1707 and 1726 and are closely related to his etchings of 1703 in Le fabriche e vedute di Venetia. Composed of 104 views of Venice, the etchings formed the most complete survey of the fabric of the city ever produced and served as a model for Venetian view painters throughout the 18th century. Carlevarijs' sketches reveal a particular attention to costume, highlighting Venetian style of dress which was highly regarded in fashionable circles throughout Europe from the 16th through the 18th centuries. The maritime republic imported raw materials from the Far East and exported finished products including highly desirable velvets and brocades. The taste for Venetian textiles persisted into the 18th century. In this period however, Venice's power was dwindling and her government corrupt. The city nevertheless sought to present a facade of a wealthy city peopled with bright and gregarious multitude engaged in pleasurable pursuits. As Carlevarijs stated in the dedication to Le fabriche, he intended his paintings to 'rendere più facile alla notitzia de Paesi stranieri le Venete Magnificenze' [render more clearly the magnificence of Venice to foreign countries]

A man wearing a red coat and stockings, a black tricorned hat and a sword at his waist. This work is part of an album of fifty-three sketches by Carlevarijs which includes figures he appears to have painted in the open air in preparation for insertion into formal compositions. Figures in very similar dress appear for example in Carlevarijs' paintings depicting the Entry of foreign Embassies such as Spain and France into the Palazzo Ducale, Venice.

P.52-1938