A Man Wearing a Red Coat

A Man Wearing a Red Coat at the Victoria and Albert Museum is another of Carlevarijs' figure studies used as staffage in his architectural views. The vivid red coat would have provided a colorful accent in larger compositions. Carlevarijs documented Venice in oil on canvas with architectural precision drawn partly from his own engravings, staffing his panoramic views with animated crowds of merchants, tourists, and gondoliers rendered in small, fluid strokes.

The figure's red coat creates a strong color note, rendered with attention to fabric and posture. These staffage studies reveal Carlevarijs' systematic approach to composing his vedute.