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A swagger portrait of a young man in elaborate embroidered clothing, his arm akimbo, sporting an upturned mustache and an enigmatic expression that seems to follow the viewer.
Significance
Despite the title (coined in the Victorian era), the subject neither laughs nor was necessarily a cavalier. The virtuosic rendering of the embroidered sleeve—featuring Cupid's arrows, bees, and lover's knots—and the sitter's confident demeanor have made it one of the most celebrated portraits in Western art.
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
83 cm × 67.3 cm
Location
Wallace Collection, London, UK