Giacomo Casanova
Artist: Alessandro Longhi (Italian, 1733-1813)
Date: about 1775
Dimensions:
H: 40 1/4 in. (102 cm); W: 35 1/2 in. (90 cm)
Medium: Oil on canvas.
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1965.165
Label Text:A regal, older gentleman is here shown wearing a fashionable powdered wig and expensive clothing and with a pose that communicates elegance and confidence. He stands at a writing desk, holding a book. The prominence of the book suggests he may be an author, and his resemblance to known portraits of Giacomo Casanova (1725–1798) resulted in a previous owner identifying the man in this portrait as the famous diarist. Born in Venice to actors, Casanova would charm his way into wealthy and aristocratic circles across Europe, gaining a reputation as a libertine along the way. He recorded his remarkable adventures—both amorous and otherwise—in his memoir, Story of My Life, which would not be published until decades after his death.
Venetian artist Alessandro Longhi was the son of a prominent painter, Piero Longhi, and the official portraitist to the Venetian Academy. A portrait of Casanova as a young man is also attributed to Longhi.
Venetian artist Alessandro Longhi was the son of a prominent painter, Piero Longhi, and the official portraitist to the Venetian Academy. A portrait of Casanova as a young man is also attributed to Longhi.
Not on view
In Collection(s)