Portrait of a boy of the Gradenigo family, possibly Ferigo c. 1758

Francesco Guardi likely painted this portrait of a young boy from the Gradenigo family in oil on canvas, sometime in the late 18th century. You can see Guardi’s deft handling of the oil paint in the boy’s elaborate costume, a fabric perhaps woven with silk and metallic threads. The artist has rendered the luxurious textile with loose brushwork, suggestive of its shimmering surface, while hinting at the labor involved in its production. Likewise, the soft, pale skin of the boy, carefully painted in the European tradition, is juxtaposed with the natural world which surrounds him: the suggestion of landscape, foliage, a toy bird, and a small animal. These elements are rendered with an equal attention to detail, hinting at the boy’s social status and the world in which he lives. Ultimately, by understanding the materials and processes employed by Guardi, we gain insight into the social and economic context of his time.