Flemish School 3rd quarter of the 16th century
Portrait of a Man with his Three Sons
Oil on panel. 74 x 60 cm.
This work depicts a father with his three sons against a neutral brown background. The father's hands resting on the heads of two children lend the portrait a familiar, personal touch, but at the same time seem to indicate the father's pride. The man's black velvet hat and fur-trimmed coat suggest a university scholar; gloves in his left hand and a richly pleated ruff complete the attire. Similar round ruffs are worn by the sons, as well as a somewhat more simply designed velvet beret.
Some portraits by the Flemish painter Bernaert de Rijckere (ca. 1535-1590) appear comparable to this unusual composition, for example the portrait of Adriaan van Santvoort with his sons Guillaume and Adriaen (private collection; cf. exhib. cat. "Kinderen op hun mooist. Het kinderportret in de Nederlanden 1500-1700", Haarlem, Frans Halsmuseum, 7.10.-31.12.2000 & Antwerp, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, 21.1.-22.4.2001, Amsterdam 2000, no. 5, p. 96). Just as this portrait has a counterpart showing his wife Anna van Hertsbeeke with two other children, this painting may also once have had a counterpart depicting the couple's mother and perhaps daughters.
We would like to thank Professor Katlijne Van der Stighelen for her valuable assistance in cataloguing this work.