Portrait of a Gentleman in Red

The sitter of this vigorous, half-length Portrait of a Gentleman in Red is probably Count Wackerbarth, who was in Venice in 1739-40 accompanying Prince Frederick Christian of Saxony. This identification is based on the facial similarities to another portrait of the same person, also by Rosalba and conserved in Dresden; the dating to the end of the 1730s is confirmed by the very close similarities in technique - particularly in the use of pencil on the pastel tinted background to suggest the brocade garment.