Portrait of a Gentleman Aged 73 1667

This is an anonymous portrait of a gentleman made with graphite on paper around 1667. The sitter is presented within a fictive oval frame, common for portraiture during this period. Given the man's age, dress, and the date of the work, we can hypothesize that he would have lived through decades of intense political and social change in England. The work was produced after the Restoration of the monarchy, which saw the return of Charles II to the throne in 1660. This occurred after a long period of civil war and republican rule under Oliver Cromwell. It would be interesting to explore whether our sitter was a Royalist, or whether his sympathies lay with the Parliamentarians. His dress suggests that he was certainly a man of means, and therefore likely to have been involved in politics. The portrait presents many questions that might be answered with further historical research. By investigating the dress and customs of the time, and by looking into the lives of other men of this age and social standing, we might learn more. The meaning of art is contingent on social and institutional context.