François-André Vincent (French, 1746–1816) Painted in 1797, this intimate and lively half-length portrait depicts the 51-year-old sculptor Philippe-Laurent Roland (1746-1816), an exact contemporary and longtime friend of Vincent's who was also his colleague in the lnstitut, which had been established in 1795 to replace the defunct Royal Academy. Roland is shown from the side, sitting with his body angled slightly toward the viewer and his proper right arm resting informally on the back of his chair. His hand, dominating the center foreground, lightly grips an ebauchoir, a sculptural tool used for working plaster. The artist's costume, consisting of a well-worn jacket, waistcoat, and loose shirt with pleated frill, is decidedly simple, dignified and workmanlike - a world apart from the extreme fashions of the strutting young peacocks who were being labeled Jncroyab/es in the late 1790s. His gray, powdered hair unpretentiously disheveled, Roland engages us directly, his self assured expression a marvel of psychological nuance. On one hand his level gaze is cool and restrained, perhaps even faintly quizzical in his calm appraisal of the viewer, brow slightly furrowed. Yet his demeanor is also open and warm, his parted lips heightening our sense of an intelligent character caught in the moment, his guard dropping in a friendly encounter between equals.
Vincent's restricted, sober palette, typical of revolutionary-period male portraits, is likewise subtly nuanced, ranging from the cool, light grays of the background, the warm browns of Roland's jacket and the creams and whites of his waistcoat and shirt, to the ruddy flush of his cheeks and the red of the honorific ribbon pinned to the inside of his jacket, which offer a counterpoint to the dull green of the chair back. Throughout Vincent's masterful paint handling is evident, from the lightly brushed background that imparts a wonderful sense of space, to the firm, sculptural modeling of Roland's head and hand, whose three-dimensionality is emphasized by the painter's sophisticated modulation of light and shade. The resulting sense of physical acy, of vital presence, is extraordinary, and is only strengthened by the tight framing of the composition, the proximity of the sitter to the picture plane, and the suppression of superfluous details.
We make each of our prints one at a time—just for you.
Our Giclée Prints are printed here in Switzerland, one at a time, on heavy matte German art paper using the finest 12-color Canon archival inks. Some images are panoramic or tall and narrow—please select the 18" x 36" format for these.
Our Premium Museum Frame in Black is custom-made in Lugano, Switzerland, using natural wood moulding in a matte black satin finish. Each includes thick, hand-cut white mat boards and Plexiglass glazing. We tailor and print each image to fit its specific ratio and dimensions within our custom-made frames. The hand-cut mats are extra thick. Each bespoke museum frame ships in a custom box. Rush shipping is available for projects with tight deadlines—this is our specialty, and you will not be disappointed.
Our Antiqued Museum Frame in Gold is a high-quality frame made of solid wood, featuring traditional 19th-century cast plaster moulded details and closed corners. These frames are works of art in themselves, each with a unique patina. The hand-rubbed corners and gold finish evoke the elegance of times past. Your selected image is printed on German art paper with archival inks and mounted to quality art board within the frame. Plexiglass is added for print protection and the back is covered with Kraft paper and a hanger is supplied ready to hang..
Our Stretched Canvas prints are hand-stretched over 1.25" thick pine bars and printed with archival inks on a cotton-poly matte finish canvas. These are best-in-industry Swiss-quality canvases, hand-coated for UV protection.
Wall Murals are printed on a matte-finish, self-adhesive poly/fabric material that mounts easily and is ideal for smooth wall surfaces.
Our Note Cards are amazing—each is printed individually on 100% cotton art paper, comes with a kraft envelope, and is individually sleeved. (Image is scaled to fit the format.)
All of our images are digitized from the original negative or print and printed by our master printer to museum standards.
Questions? Please email service@archivea.com or call/text +41 79 265 8891.
Artwork in this collection is from The J. Paul Getty Museum. Reproduction rights are reserved by the copyright owner and used under license by Archivea GmbH.
