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Notes

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The Dutch artist Gerard Soest worked in England from the late 1640s where he ran a successful portraiture practice. Soest's prodigious rendering of the grey silk drapery adds a touch of glamour to this middle-aged gentleman. The artist has given no clue as to the man's identity, although his garments and features are suggestive of his comfortable, prosperous lifestyle. His plump left hand exemplifies the attention Soest paid to hands, which he used to add movement and character to his portraits. The composition and palette may be compared to Soest's portrait of Samuel Butler (National Portrait Gallery).

The Red Lodge Museum

Title

Portrait of an Unknown Man

Date

c.1670

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 95.5 x W 80 cm

Accession number

K1353

Acquisition method

gift from Alfred de Pass in memory of Nora de Pass, 1936

Work type

Painting

The Red Lodge Museum

Park Row, Bristol BS1 5LJ England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.

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Artist or maker

Gilbert Soest

c.1605–1681

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Sir Samuel Luke (1603–1670), Scoutmaster General in the Parliamentary Army Moot Hall Museum
Samuel Butler (1612–1680) Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
John Hay (1645–1713), 2nd Marquis of Tweeddale Glasgow Museums Resource Centre (GMRC)
John Wallis (1616–1703) The Royal Society
Portrait of an Unknown Man The Red Lodge Museum
Samuel Butler Yale Center for British Art
Lady Margaret Hay (c.1657–1753), Countess of Roxburghe National Galleries of Scotland: Portrait
50 more