4201 - Cornelis Jonson van Ceulen, attributed, Distinguished Gentleman

Cornelis Jonson van Ceulen, attributed, Distinguished Gentleman A knee-length portrait of a distinguished Dutch gentleman, holding his gloves in his right hand, his left hand tucked into his cloak, turned slightly to the left, looking at the viewer, wearing a large white lace collar and matching lace cuffs; a typical portrait of a Dutch citizen of the ‘Golden Age’, oil on canvas, dated 1634 in the top right-hand corner, unsigned, with various annotations on the reverse and a ‘Christies’ stamp, lined, restored, slight signs of age, in a historic dark-gold decorative frame with painted ornaments, beneath the painting is a plaque bearing the artist’s name, frame slightly bumped, inner dimensions 108 x 74.5 cm, the painting was apparently published in 1929 in an Antwerp publication as an authentic work by Cornelis Johnson van Ceulen; see the existing photographs of the painting in the RKDLite database, nos. 229163 and 496234. Artist information: Dutch artist of the Golden Age (Gouden Eeuw) and of the English royal court (1593 in London to 1661 in Utrecht or Amsterdam; alternative spelling: Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen), son of a Flemish artist who came from Cologne and fled to England because of his religion; probably trained in the Netherlands; first documented work in London; married Elisabeth Beck, also of Flemish descent, in London in 1622; worked at the English royal court and at the court of Kent from 1632, and became a member of the Guild of St Luke in Middelburg (NL); worked in several locations in the Netherlands; regarded as a highly prolific portrait painter of the English nobility; best known for half-length portraits and knee-length portraits; predecessor to Antonis van Dyck at the English court; his body of work is difficult to survey in its entirety due to his prolific output. Source: RKD and Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon Online.