Portrait of a Gentleman (1530) “Oil on panel transferred to canvas, 63.5 x 51.1 cm” [The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA, USA] — Jan Gossaert “Mabuse” (Flemish; ca. 1478 – 1532)
The identity of the sitter is unknown. Jan Gossaert, also known as Jean Gossart and by the nickname Mabuse, was a Flemish painter who is considered one of the first to bring the elements of the Italian Renaissance and more specifically Romanism to Flanders. For an important clientele he made excellent portraits with a dark background, sometimes in profile or trompe l’oeil, as he had learned in Italy from Florentine models.
