Carolus-Duran acquired a considerable reputation painting portraits of wealthy sitters dressed in sumptuous clothing. This work, in contrast, depicts the artist’s gardener, a ruddy man with unruly hair wearing a wrinkled overcoat. Arms crossed and staring directly out of the picture, he seems impatient to return to work. The earth-toned colors are applied in loose strokes, suggesting the painting was completed quickly. An inscription in the top right corner indicates that the portrait was painted on the French Riviera, where Carolus-Duran owned a villa.
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