French school; second half of the 19th century. "Gentleman. Oil on canvas. Measurements: 61 x 48 cm; 72 x 54 cm (frame). Portrait of great realism that presents its protagonist of bust and slightly turned in three quarters. The protagonist shows a bushy beard, a wide-brimmed hat and a red coat. Dressed in an anachronistic manner, the piece seems to be inspired by models from an earlier period. As in the rest of Europe, portraiture became the leading genre par excellence in French painting as a consequence of the new social structures that were established in the Western world during this century, embodying the ultimate expression of the transformation in the taste and mentality of the new clientele that emerged among the nobility and the wealthy gentry, who were to take the reins of history in this period. While official circles gave precedence to other artistic genres, such as history painting, and the incipient collectors encouraged the profusion of genre paintings, portraits were in great demand for paintings intended for the more private sphere, as a reflection of the value of the individual in the new society. This genre embodies the permanent presence of the image of its protagonists, to be enjoyed in the privacy of a studio, in the everyday warmth of a family cabinet or presiding over the main rooms of the house.