Artwork

Georg Vollrath de Rège, grandson of the artist

Georg Vollrath de Rège, grandson of the artist, by Antoine Pesne, oil, 1748
Georg Vollrath de Rège, grandson of the artist, by Antoine Pesne, oil, 1748

Georg Vollrath de Rège, grandson of the artist is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Antoine Pesne. It dates from 1748 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.

About this work

The artist's skillful use of chiaroscuro creates a sense of volume and dimensionality, drawing the viewer's eye to the boy's face and the bird.

This portrait shows a young boy in an ornate blue velvet jacket, holding a small yellow bird in his right hand. The boy's hair is styled in loose curls, and he wears a white shirt with ruffles at the cuffs. He looks directly at the viewer with a serious expression.

The boy's attire and the style of the painting suggest a formal portrait from the 18th century. The use of rich colors and textures adds depth and luxury to the image.

The artist's skillful use of chiaroscuro creates a sense of volume and dimensionality, drawing the viewer's eye to the boy's face and the bird.

Overview

Antoine Pesne’s oil portrait, painted in 1748, depicts Georg Vollrath de Rège, the artist’s grandson. The work is part of the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin and presents a formal, eighteenth‑century likeness of a young male sitter.

Subject & Meaning

The child is shown in a richly embroidered blue velvet coat, his hair gathered in loose curls, and a white shirt with ruffled cuffs. He holds a small yellow bird in his right hand and meets the viewer’s gaze with a composed, serious expression, suggesting both innocence and a degree of aristocratic poise.

Technique & Style

Pesne employs chiaroscuro to model the boy’s face and the bird, creating a sense of three‑dimensional form against a subdued background. The contrast of deep blues, luminous whites, and the bright yellow of the bird highlights texture and material, characteristic of Rococo portraiture.

History & Provenance

Created in the mid‑eighteenth century, the painting has remained in the German museum sector, eventually entering the Gemäldegalerie’s holdings in Berlin. Its attribution to Pesne, a leading court painter in Prussia, aligns with his known output of aristocratic family portraits.

Context

The portrait reflects the conventions of courtly portraiture in 1740s Prussia, where children of notable families were depicted in sumptuous attire to signal status. The inclusion of a bird as an accessory was a common symbol of gentility and the sitter’s youthful vitality.

Artist & collection

Portrait of Antoine Pesne

Artist

Antoine Pesne

Antoine Pesne (French pronunciation: ) (29 May 1683 – 5 August 1757) was a French-born court painter of Prussia.

This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: Gemäldegalerie Berlin open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.