Portrait of a Man Wearing a Wig 1699 - 1758

Bartolommeo Nazari created "Portrait of a Man Wearing a Wig" using black and white chalk on gray paper. Nazari, who was active in Venice and across Europe, made his living portraying the elite, capturing their likenesses for posterity. At the time this work was made, wigs were worn as a signifier of status, fashion, and power. For men, wigs became an essential part of aristocratic and bourgeois identity. This portrait not only reflects individual likeness but also embodies social hierarchies. The wig, meticulously rendered, speaks volumes about the subject’s position within 18th-century society. The identity of the man in the portrait remains a mystery, yet the drawing evokes a sense of intimacy. Nazari’s choice of chalk lends the portrait a softness, a humanizing touch that complicates the otherwise formal representation of status. While this artwork maintains traditional representations of class, it also whispers of the individual stories behind the powdered facade.