Artwork
One of four costume cards and seven mica overlays.
One of four costume cards and seven mica overlays. is a paint painting by the Romanticist artist Unknown. It dates from 1830 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The work is a painted costume card, one of a set of four, complemented by seven mica overlays.
About this work
Overview
The work is a painted costume card, one of a set of four, complemented by seven mica overlays. It portrays a nude male figure wearing a red cap and a striped skirt, clutching an axe, accompanied by a white goat and a small monkey. The composition is rendered in flat, vivid hues without any modeling of light or shadow.
Subject & Meaning
The figure’s attire and the presence of the goat and monkey suggest an allusion to a folkloric or narrative character, possibly drawn from traditional tales where such animals serve as companions or symbols. The axe may indicate a role as a laborer, hunter, or mythic hero, while the bright costume underscores a performative or ceremonial aspect.
Technique & Style
The absence of chiaroscuro and the use of flat color fields reflect a stylized approach, emphasizing pattern and silhouette over naturalistic representation.
Executed with bold, unmodulated outlines, the painting employs a limited palette of saturated colors, creating a graphic, two‑dimensional effect. The absence of chiaroscuro and the use of flat color fields reflect a stylized approach, emphasizing pattern and silhouette over naturalistic representation. This deliberate simplicity aligns with the functional purpose of costume cards as clear visual references.
History & Provenance
The piece belongs to a quartet of costume cards, each accompanied by mica overlays that would have enhanced visual detail when viewed against light. While specific origins and dates are not recorded, such cards were commonly produced in the 19th‑century European tradition of documenting theatrical and folk costumes for designers and scholars.
Artist & collection
Domestic Scene
Giacomo and Cardinal Marco, investing Andrea, Abbot of San Zeno, with his Benefice
The Nymph of Fontainebleau
Portrait of a Woman
Madonna and Child with Saints in the Enclosed Garden
Venus and Minerva
Family Group of Four on Sofa
Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale
