Circle of Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem (Haarlem 1562-1638)

The present portrait is thought to derive from a lost prototype of 1587 which is known through several painted versions and a drawing by Jan Muller in preparation for an engraving of 1590. Van Thiel (loc. cit.) records ten versions in all, of which the picture in the Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, is generally regarded as the most accomplished. Dirck Coornhert was an eminent humanist and theologian and his popularity may account for the large number of contemporary copies. The prototype originated from Coornhert's last stay in Haarlem in the years 1586-9 before he departed for Gouda, where he died the following year.