Luigi Mussini (Berlino 1813 – Siena 1888)

Luigi Mussini, Portrait of a Dominican Father, 1860, depicted frontally, in a half-bust view, against a dark green background. He is dressed in a buttoned shirt and a white tunic, rendered with masterful brushstrokes creating a shimmering, silky effect. The subject is a middle-aged father, almost bald, his face turned slightly to the right, his gaze is intense, severe, or at least thoughtful, as indicated by his furrowed eyebrows and tightly pursed lips. The simplicity of the composition and the incisive rendering place the portrait of the religious figure within the context of Tuscan pictorial culture of a purist style in the mid-19th century. The work is painted with oil on canvas, in good state of preservation, comes from a private Milanese collection and is presented within a beautiful carved wooden frame adorned with shells, volutes, and gilded with mecca. On the back is an inscription with the author's signature and date: L. Mussini a Vitarciano? 8bre 1860. Height: 60 (85.5) cm Width: 48.5 (73) cm Depth: 4 cm