Portrait of a Man, probably a Member of the Van Beresteyn Family

Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)

1632 · Oil on canvas · European Paintings

The man is most likely Cornelis van Beresteyn (1586–1638), a wealthy burgomaster of Delft. His restrained pose and sober expression contrast with the animation and accessibility that Rembrandt usually attributed to members of Amsterdam society. At the time, portraits in Delft and in the neighboring court city of The Hague were remarkably conservative, adhering to a tradition that went back to Spanish royal portraits of the mid-1500s. Rembrandt is known to have painted a few portraits in The Hague during 1632.

Artist

Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)

Date

1632

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929