Portrait of a young Man 1563

Cornelis de Zeeuw painted this portrait of a young man, on a wood panel, using oil paints. Oil painting allowed for subtle gradations of tone and colour. Look closely, and you'll see the way the light seems to glow from beneath the man’s skin, and the precision with which de Zeeuw has depicted the details of his beard and ruff. The effect is a rich sense of realism, but it's also undeniably idealized. The identity of the sitter is unknown, but this is almost certainly a commission, intended to project an image of wealth, cultivation, and status. Such skill took years of apprenticeship to acquire; and the cost of materials would also have been considerable. Oil paints themselves were made by hand, grinding pigment into linseed or walnut oil. So, you could say that this portrait represents a significant investment – both of time, and of money. Ultimately, understanding how this painting was made, and what it would have cost, helps us to better understand the social and economic context in which it was created, and the cultural values that it embodies.