Portrait of Bartholomeus de Kies van Wissen (1614-1679), half-length, with arms akimbo, in a gold embroidered black costume, a white chemise and an elaborate lace collar

This hitherto unknown portrait by Jan de Braij has always been privately owned with descendants of the sitter. Bartholomeus de Kies van Wissen (1614-1679) was member of a widely spread Haarlem family. In 1640 he married Eva van Kessel.

Son of the painter Salomon de Braij, Jan spent virtually his entire career in Haarlem. After training with his father, he established himself as a portrait painter in 1650, a profession he continued for the following forty years. In addition to formal portraiture, De Braij also painted scenes of his family and friends in the guise of figures from history.

We are grateful to Jeroen Giltaij, who is currently preparing a catalogue raisonné on the artist, for confirming the attribution to Jan de Braij on the basis of photographs.