Francisco de Zurbarán (Fuente de Cantos, 1598 - 1664, Madrid)
A Doctor of Law, about 1635
Oil on canvas , 195.5 x 104.5 cm (76 15/16 x 41 1/8 in.)
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This vertical oil painting on canvas depicts a tall, light-skinned man standing in the center of the scene. He is slightly turned to our right. He has dark eyes and dark hair, that is concealed by a black hat with tassels surrounding it. He has a faint mustache and red lips. He is staring directly at you. He is wearing a burgundy cloak with a bright red cape around his shoulders. He has black long sleeves and is only wearing a glove on his right hand that has gold trim. He is holding a spare glove with gold trim in his right hand. His left hand is bare, and resting on top of a chair the same shade as his cloak. The background is dark gray, with a hanging black fabric in the upper left corner. The floor beneath the man’s feet is a dark tan.
Dutch Room
Commentary
Following a spectacular debut in Madrid, Zurbarán returned to Seville and dominated the market for religious paintings. His portraits are extremely rare. The full-length format of this one conveys the lofty status of its subject, possibly Juan de la Lanza on the occasion of his appointment as Chair of the Law Faculty at the University of Sigüenza.
Seventeenth-century Spanish art captivated American collectors and artists, and Gardner went to great lengths to acquire this portrait. After seeing it at the Ehrich Galleries in New York, she “made an offer, just out of pure love!” As part of her negotiation, Gardner invited Louis Ehrich for a private tour of Fenway Court. Enchanted, Ehrich confessed in a follow up letter to remaining “under the spell of your enchanted palace... as to the ‘Zurburan’... Other parties - as I informed you – are interested, but I would prefer it to go to you.” Archer Huntington, founder of the Hispanic Society of America, was among the rival collectors who lamented their loss of this painting.
Seventeenth-century Spanish art captivated American collectors and artists, and Gardner went to great lengths to acquire this portrait. After seeing it at the Ehrich Galleries in New York, she “made an offer, just out of pure love!” As part of her negotiation, Gardner invited Louis Ehrich for a private tour of Fenway Court. Enchanted, Ehrich confessed in a follow up letter to remaining “under the spell of your enchanted palace... as to the ‘Zurburan’... Other parties - as I informed you – are interested, but I would prefer it to go to you.” Archer Huntington, founder of the Hispanic Society of America, was among the rival collectors who lamented their loss of this painting.