Portrait of an Art Connoisseur, possibly Ira Aldridge

We once presented another portrait of Ira Aldridge (check it out in our Archive), but time for another one!

Léon Herbo was born in Belgium and his enigmatic oeuvre would come to comprise portraits, history paintings, genre scenes, and Orientalist themes over the course of his career. He was perhaps most admired in his time as a portrait painter, and particularly regarded for his portraits of actors and actresses. Herbo seems to have been particularly interested in the theme of Othello and returned to it often, including a portrait of his wife reading the play as well as a portrait of her in the guise of Desdemona. This connection has given rise to the suggestion that the sitter in the present painting may be the great Shakespearian actor Ira Aldridge. Though Herbo would have been just 17 at the time of Aldridge’s death in 1867, Herbo was on occasion approached to paint posthumous portraits. Though Aldridge’s daughters did study as children in Belgium, no definitive link can be identified between Herbo and Aldridge. Aldridge was well-known throughout Europe, however, and well-connected in artistic circles.

Whoever the sitter is, the present work clearly represents an individualized portrait rather than a "type." Dressed in somber-hued, period attire that does not exoticize the sitter, and clearly emphasizing his interests in art and literature, this portrait represents an intentional counterpoint to the derisive stereotypes and caricatures that the popular media of the period generally used in depictions of Black people. This fascinating portrait’s appearance on the market will hopefully add to the scholarly discussions of the complex and multilayered uses of oil portraiture among the vibrant community of free Black people in Europe during the 19th century.

P.S. How many portraits of Black models do you know? Here you can read stories of famous 19th century Black sitters.

P.P.S. It is already nearly the second week of the new year! If you still don't have a calendar for it yet, please check our artsy 2022 calendars here.  :)