Portrait of a Man
Artist
Unknown
Artist
Cornelius Janssen van Ceulen
(British, 1593-1661)
Date1636
MediumOil on panel
ClassificationsEuropean art
Credit LineThe Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA
Object number0.3170
Terms
- Man
On View
Not on viewLabel TextUnknown Dutch 17th century Portrait of a Man, 1636 Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.3170 The Latin inscription at the upper left-Anno 1636/A[etatis] 44-tells us that the sitter was 44 years old in 1636, the year this portrait was made. Unfortunately, we know nothing else about the gentleman portrayed here or the artist who painted him, though the style of the portrait has led some scholars to suggest that Cornelius Jonson van Ceulen is the likely author. Born in London to Dutch/German immigrant parents, Jonson was the most important native English portraitist of the early 17th century. He earned the patronage of both James I and Charles I, painting mostly bust-length images of the English royal court. After the great Flemish portraitist Anthony van Dyck arrived in England in 1643, Jonson's reputation and patronage rapidly declined, and he soon moved to Holland, where he painted for the rest of his life. While some have attributed the portrait to Jonson, others have argued that it was probably painted in Holland by another, still unknown portraitist, citing the sitter's clothing-in particular, his frilly ruff and densely patterned jacket-as far more typical of 17th-century Dutch than English dress. But whoever painted the portrait, the softness and luminosity of the flesh are beautifully achieved. Research on the painting will continue.
ca. 1615
