English school; c. 1830. "Portrait of a Gentleman. Oil... Lot 38

English school; c. 1830. "Portrait of a Gentleman. Oil on canvas. It presents frame of epoch with faults. Measurements: 76 x 64,5 cm; 104 x 91 cm (frame). As in the rest of Europe, in England the portrait became in the 19th century the protagonist genre par excellence of the painting since it began a growing development around it, as a consequence of the new social structures that were implanted in the western world along this century, embodying the maximum expression of the transformation of the taste and the mentality of the new clientele, emerged between the nobility and the high wealthy bourgeoisie, who would take the reins of history in this period. While official circles gave precedence to other artistic genres, such as history painting, and the incipient collectors encouraged the profusion of genre paintings, portraits were in great demand for paintings intended for the more private sphere, as a reflection of the value of the individual in the new society. This genre embodies the permanent presence of the image of its protagonists, to be enjoyed in the privacy of a studio, in the everyday warmth of a family cabinet or presiding over the main rooms of the house.