Gentleman in a Black Coat

At the time of creating this miniature, Charles Pierre Cior had reached the pinnacle of his artistic career. After

an early phase during the 1790s in which he exhibited at the Paris Salon for the first time, he travelled a lot and held various positions at different courts, such as Spain and Russia. He continued developing his style all the while, and, during his second creative phase after 1805, he created vibrant miniatures in strong colours with expressive brushwork and detail-rich designs.¹

During the last years of his life, Cior was extraordinarily productive. He appeared to have developed some kind of quick-painting technique. This portrait reveals the experienced miniaturist who used rapid brushstrokes and hatchings to lend depth and expression to the face with barely visible shadows without contours. As so often, the background is only intimated as a diffuse sky with some tree foliage visible at the edges of the painting.

J. S. O.