On the basis of the inscription this painting has in the past been considered to be a portrait of the philosopher Descartes (1596
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The sitter has not been identified, but the dress has been thought to be that of a Venetian senator. The painting appears to have been made from a drawing which may be by Mantegna (Vienna, Albertina). ...

The younger woman is presumably the couple's daughter. She grasps the stem of a rose bush in her left hand while the older woman holds a peach. Jan Harmensz. Bijlert was born in Utrecht & he travelled to France & Italy. In Rome he was a founding member of the ' Bent', the society of Netherlandish painters. He returned to Utrecht in 1625 & became a prominent figure in the artists' guild there. He painted history scenes, genre subjects & portraits. ...

The old man represented in this portrait, seated a chair in front of a curtain that has been pulled to the side, has not been identified. He is wearing a 'tabbaard', which is a long black gown that is lined with fur. This together with the book he is holding suggests that he may be scholar. There is also another portrait by Maes of the same sitter, dated 1665, which was formerly in the Johnson collection in Washington, DC. ...

The painting may be the work of a Flemish artist, but there seem to be some stylistic connections with the work of the Middleburg artist, Pieter Borsseler (active 1665
- 1687). The costume is of the latter part of the 17th century. The sitter has not bee
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The sitter holds a book but looks out to engage the viwer's attention. He is well-dressed, wearing a fur-lined coat with a deep collar. The precise identity of the man in this arresting portrait is uncertain, however, the arms on his ring are those of the ...

Anna Maria van Schurman (1607
- 1678), was a Dutch poet & scholar. She was born in Cologne, but early in life moved to Utrecht
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This simple, direct portrait shows the artist’s mother, Anna Westerbaen. The features of the woman resemble her likeness in other paintings (see for example the posthumous double portrait with her husband in the National Gallery of Art, Washington) & her age – 52 in 1657 – conforms precisely with the painting’s inscription. The daughter of a rope maker from The Hague, Anna Westerbaen was the sister of the physician & poet Jacob Westerbaen & the portrait painter Jan Westerbaen. She married the painter, architect & poet Salomon de Bray in 1625 in The Hague & later moved to Haarlem, where she gave birth to at least ten children. Anna’s eldest son Jan depicted his mother a number of times in his paintings, but this is the only formal portrait. It possibly once had a pendant showing her husband Salomon. The portrait of her husband is now lost, but a drawing by Jan (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett), bearing the same date of 1657 & similar inscription stating the sitter’s age, seems to record the companion piece. ...

On the left are the Correr (Corraro) coat of arms. Despite the indications in the inscriptions, it is difficult to identify the sitter with any known Antonio Correr, son of Vittore Correr. Their wording has probably been repainted wrongly. The sitter coul ...

Fernando de Valdés y Llanos was from the family of the Counts of Toreno. He was appointed Bishop of Tereul in 1625, Bishop Elect of León in 1632, & in 1633 Archbishop of Granada & President of the Council of Castille, a post comparable to that of Lord Chancellor which prevented him from leaving Madrid. He died in 1639. It is probable that this is a posthumous portrait, a work of the early 1640s. ...