Is my interpretation of this sentence correct?

[cubezero3]

Hello, everyone.

I'd like to know if I understand the meaning of the following sentence correctly.

Don't we have in him a formalist, in fact an aesthete?

He may appear to be a formalist. But in fact he's an aesthete.

Many thanks

Richard

[Raymott]

Hello, everyone.

I'd like to know if I understand the meaning of the following sentence correctly.



He may appear to be a formalist. But in fact he's an aesthete.

Many thanks

Richard

No, the speaker is saying that /she thinks he is a formalist, in fact an aesthete.
(I don't pretend to understand why a formalist should be an aesthete; but the speaker is asking, "Is he not both?")