Nicolas Tournier (Montbéliard 1590, Toulouse 1639)
"Love for Sale"
Oil on canvas, circa 1620
Dimensions 113 x 90, antique gilded frame 135 x 112
Intriguing canvas of exquisite workmanship and with strongly Caravaggesque tones.
It is a typical work of the French master Nicolas Tournier, a great portrait painter of characters depicted in various circumstances but always with the markedly chiaroscuro features of Caravaggesque imprint.
The skillful use of light effects recalls the works of Merisi, inevitably revealing the Flemish-inspired French style that distinguishes Tournier's painting.
The scene is very interesting and reflects a theme widespread in ancient Franco-Flemish painting.
The old and rich hag shows the handsome young man a bag full of coins and buys his love.
Her clothes richly trimmed with fur, her velvet hat, and her jewels demonstrate her high social status.
The particular hat with feathers worn by the "Gigolo" is often found on the heads of Tournier's characters.
The pictorial quality of this splendid canvas is truly extraordinary, and the considerable size increases its importance.
The painting is in excellent condition with old late nineteenth-century re-lining.
It is complete with a beautiful antique gilded frame.
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