Man Wearing a Turban c.1734-74
Oil on panel | 44.9 x 34.5 x 0.6 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 403555
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Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich was first taught by his father, Johann George Dietrich (1684-1752), Court painter in Weimar, and was then sent as an apprentice to the landscape painter Johann Alexander Thiele (1685-1752). In 1730 the prodigious young artist was appointed court painter to Frederick-Augustus I, Elector of Saxony. From 1734 to 1741 Dietrich travelled in Germany and possibly the Netherlands; on his return he was appointed court painter to Frederick Augustus II, Elector of Saxony who then sent him to Italy in 1743. After visiting Rome and Venice, Dietrich returned to Saxony and in 1748 he was appointed inspector of Dresden's Gemäldegalerie. He is remembered both as a prolific painter, working in various genres and styles, from the finesse of the Dutch Fijnschilders to the courtly glamour of French Rococo. He was a populariser, producing paintings with the look of the old masters but at more affordable prices. During the 19th Century, Dietrich was disdained for his lack of creativity; in the 20th Century he came to be regarded as a talented artist, typical of his time in basing his art on past models. After 1732 he signed his paintings with the name 'Dietricy'.
Dietrich often painted subjects in pairs to ease their placement within a gallery hang. This painting formed a pair with RCIN 403557, A Jewish Rabbi. Both artworks are emulations of Rembrandt's portrait style: performative, glamourous, yet also earthy and rough. The Royal Collection owns a portrait of a rabbi by Rembrandt which demonstrates this exactly (RCIN 405519).
Provenance
One of a pair acquired by George III from the collection of Consul Smith in 1762 (Dutch and Flemish list, no 111-2, RCIN 403555 & 403557)
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Medium and techniques
Oil on panel
Measurements
44.9 x 34.5 x 0.6 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)
56.3 x 46.3 x 3.3 cm (frame, external)