Long description
This three-quarters portrait is of a young man who stands with his body slightly turned to the right and his head turned to the left. He is lit from the left, so that he appears vivid against a darkened background. His face is pale, with dark eyes, a straight nose and high forehead; he wears a dark wig. He is dressed in the following: a long scarlet coat and waistcoat, both embellished with gold; scarlet breeches, and a white lace undershirt with a high neck. His left hand leans on an open map placed near the edge of a green marble table with ornate gilded legs. His right arm gestures outwards. At the right border, obscured by shadow, is a fluted column. To the left of the image, beyond a pile of leather-bound books is a bust of a female figure wearing a golden helmet; this is heavily obscured by shadow. In the background are the moonlit ruins of a classical landscape under a night sky.