Description:

Jose Francisco Xavier de Salazar y Mendoza (Mexican/Louisiana, 1750-1802) , "Portrait of a Louisiana Gentleman", 1801, oil on canvas, signed, dated and inscribed "J.M. Salazar, pinxit, Nova Aurelia, 1801" lower right, 36 1/4 in. x 27 in., antique gilt frame.

  • Notes: Little is known concerning the early life of the artist José Francisco Xavier de Salazar y Mendoza. What is clear is that by 1782, when Salazar had arrived in New Orleans from the Yucatán, he was already a mature artist as evidenced by the portraiture he created during the next two decades featuring Louisiana’s most distinguished civic, military and religious elite. Of the known works attributed to Salazar, only around a dozen are signed and even fewer are additionally inscribed. From the portrait of Abraham Kortright Brasher (signed, dated 1800, and inscribed New Orleans) and the portrait of James Mather, Mayor of New Orleans (signed and dated 1802), Salazar clearly was actively painting in the city even during the year of his death. One finds it not surprising, therefore, to discover this quietly extraordinary portrait of a New Orleans sitter dated to 1801. The seated figure is depicted in a classic Salazar three quarter length view on a spindle-back chair within the partial fictive dimensional oval frame, which was a common format for the artist, and, in this work, provides a space for the lengthy inscription. While the New Orleans gentleman in this painting remains an intriguing mystery, a relatively common occurrence among Salazar portraits, he was undoubtedly a distinguished figure of prominence, with the means necessary to procure a likeness by the most admired portraitist in colonial Louisiana. Rather than the classical pose with one hand in the waistcoat, this sitter displays, one might even say proudly emphasizes with the positioning of his hands, his “power paunch.” In eighteenth-century art, the stomach serving as a visual cue of class, prowess and masculinity was not uncommon. Other Salazar portraits of important sitters, such as General James Wilkinson, William Dunbar, James Mather and certainly Don Andrés Almonester y Royas Estrada, depict a sitter with a larger stomach and waistcoat buttons straining, but none reach the level of attention given to the lower curve of the torso of this subject. In a society where the economy was sharply divided and often unstable, the ability to attain a larger weight could be interpreted as a symbol of power and influence just as clearly as a sitter’s luxurious fabrics, clothing and jewels. In this case, his paunch becomes the visual weapon and status symbol of the composed and stately gentleman. Salazar’s portraits serve as a lasting remembrance of the affluent, powerful and often notorious characters that populated New Orleans during one the most tumultuous and fascinating periods in the city’s long history. One can hope that the story of each of his sitters, even those whose names have been lost to time, will continue to be explored and shared. Perhaps with further research, this enigmatic gentleman will prove to be a noteworthy figure who played a crucial role in early Louisiana history. Ref.: National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Louisiana. Louisiana Portraits. New Orleans: Wetzel Printing, Inc., 1975. Gontar, Cybèle, ed. Salazar: Portraits of Influence in Spanish New Orleans, 1785-1802. New Orleans: Ogden Museum of Southern Art/University of New Orleans Press, 2018.
  • Condition: If Condition is NOT stated in the description of the lot, the absence of a condition report does not indicate the lot is free of damage or condition issues. Available Condition Reports will appear as an additional image. Condition Reports and photographs may be requested on items until the Wednesday prior to the auction. Bid accordingly. All sales are final, no returns are accepted on the basis of condition.

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November 19, 2022 11:00 AM CST
New Orleans, LA, US

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