Portrait of a gentleman, half-length, in a black coat and lace collar

Jan Cossiers was a Flemish painter whose style is close to that of the Utrecht, Antwerp and Roman Caravaggisti, albeit often freer in handling. Cossiers assisted Rubens with the execution of a series of large paintings that were commissioned from the artist in the 1630s, and by the second half of the seventeenth century, Cossiers had established himself as one of Antwerp's most prominent masters. His portraits in particular, such as the present work, are admired for their sensitive likenesses and psychological characterizations. Details such as the sitter's left hand, resting securely at his waist, reveal a self-assured and dignified nature.