(Hulst 1584/85–1651 Antwerp)
Portrait of a gentleman, in a large ruff, bust-length,
oil on panel, 53 x 39.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
James Tuchler (1883–1953), Berlin, March 1929;
James and Anna Tuchler-Sachse (1886–1973), Brussels/Berlin;
where acquired after 1945;
Private collection, Belgium

We are grateful to Katlijne Van der Stighelen for confirming the attribution of the present painting to Cornelis de Vos on the basis of a first-hand inspection. The present painting is listed in the Documentation of the Rubenianum, Antwerp, under no. CRLB nr. 1328.

Cornelis de Vos was one of the most outstanding portraitists in seventeenth century Antwerp. He was influenced by both Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck but developed his own style as a painter of individual and group portraits ideally suited for the Antwerp upper middle class. He was able to achieve a sensitive and lively portrayal of the characters of his sitters and used a transparent and fluid technique with particular attention for a detailed and tactile rendering of the costumes. This portrait of a man embodies De Vos’ mature style from around 1625–30 and offers an incomparable example of his empathic and intriguing portrait skills. A splendid portrait of an unidentified family in the Wallraf Richartz-Museum in Cologne offers a good point of comparison (see K. Van der Stighelen, De portretten van Cornelis de Vos (1584/5–1651): een kritische catalogus. Verhandelingen van de Koninklijke Academie van wetenschappen, letteren en schone kunsten van België, Brussels 1990, pp. 99-102).