The attribution has been kindly suggested by Dr Hans Vlieghe, who compares the head of the old man in the present lot with the head of Ahasverus in the picture 'Esther before Ahasverus' which was with Rafael Valls, London, circa 1970

The support bears traces of the coat-of-arms of the City of Antwerp and of the panel maker's mark of Michiel Claessens (active 1617-1637)

See colour illustration