The fine red cape of this portly drinker brings a splash of colour to this painting. Our eye is also drawn to the pale-blue cummerbund, straining across the subject’s large belly as he admires his freshly-poured glass. Tito Conti was very successful in exhibiting his humorous genre paintings across Europe. He was known particularly for his historical themes and portraits. This scene depicts a wine connoisseur from the 17th century, a comical fellow that Conti recycled from an 1874 painting of a similar theme, The Last Drop.
This scene is less extravagant than Conti’s Paying her Respects to His High Mightiness and The Good-Bye, which also hang in the picture gallery. Nevertheless, Approved still focuses on bright costume and detailed texture. The scene is characterised by nostalgic charm, allowing the viewer to enjoy a small vignette of times past.
Purchased by Thomas Holloway, 1883.
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