It’s not really a Gay gesture

the hand, or the rakish sword on the thrust hip...?

hehe the hand gesture

I never said it was a gay gesture, I said you were,

Pointing towards the future? A kind of optimistic Enlightenment gesture?

I don't think a person can actually BE a gesture, can they?

Yeah, it kind of says , "Behold!"

I'm betwixt by the tassel.

As the sort of foppish popinjay familiar with the quips and quirks that a young coxcomb such as you can but aspire to I assure you the gesticulation proffers a seat at the table.

There are a bunch of paintings of William Penn with gestures similar to these. One of the paintings commemorates a land acquisition pact the Penn made with the indians which led to a "land Grab" that became known as the "Walking Purchase" Penn was shown holding a scroll in one hand and gesturing to the "savages" in a manner similar to this guy.

This painting attempts to commemorate the military cooking life of whoever the guy is. He is obviously a member of the fourth chefs squadron of the Royal Fusileers. His gesture is meant to show the proper way to hold a spatula
Nevertheless, Im always amazed at how boyish many of these subjects were made to look on canvas

Many of these subjects were nothing more than boys. Remember, life expactancy was way, way lower back in those days than today. Teen-aged popinjays commanded mature men in battle. They were officers by the time they started to have to shave because they were "nobly born." The men they commanded were essentially chattel, landless farm boys. Just like today, soldiers were mainly kids.

Tempest in a teapot . . . two things are very difficult in portraitue: drapery (meaning how fabrics hang) and depicting the articulation of the bones of the hand. Look at the subject's right hand. In both that case, and in the gesture of the left hand, the artist is showing his mastery of his art. That's all, nothing more.

In this portrait of Horatio Nelson when he was about 21, the artist shows both hands articulated. (Later portraits don't because he no longer had two hands.)



In this early portrait of Napoleon, the artist is showing off. One hand is in a gauntlet, but the other is bare, and articulated. In addition, the artists shows that ridiculous cloak blowing around him, so he can show off his mastery of drapery.

Not sure if this is that relevant, but I think it's Bonnie Prince Charlie.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Edward_Stuart

Hopes of a Jacobean/Catholic king were dashed with his defeat at Culloden, maybe the painting is trying to show that sense of loss.

These are just suggestions I can't really be certain it is him.

Interesting, I always thought in those days when a man posed with the palm of his hand up was to show wealth, his hands had never done hard labor, something to that effect.

That’s what I remember now, a seat to the table! Thank you

And Izzy he does kind of look like Bonnie Prince Charlie.

I also have the portrait of Napoleon, have that one in my living room but thinking of getting rid of it, it’s a large painting and a little too big for the wall I have it on. I think it would be perfect to donate to the next silent auction for the next breast cancer fund raiser!

Cool gryphon!

Thanks! He weighs about 300lbs. When I moved to Florida my neighbor actually built a wooden crate for him so the movers wouldn’t damage him, he made the trip unscratched!

I call him Merv

Very clever.