(Bruges 1545–1581 Antwerp)
Portrait of a gentleman, bust-length, in a white ruff,
with a date upper left: MDLXXX,
oil on panel, 47 x 34.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
Collection of James Whatman, MP, F.R.S. (1813–1887), Vinters, Maidstone;
his deceased sale, Christie’s, London, 2 July 1887, lot 36 (as Pourbus, dated 1580 and sold for 86 gns.);
where bought by Colnaghi, London;
Private European collection, until 2015

We are grateful to Koenraad Jonckheere for his assistance with the attribution, and for pointing out its stylistic and technical similarity to a portrait by the artist, dated 1580 (formerly with Bob Haboldt Ltd, now in a private collection). Frans Pourbus the Elder’s portraits demonstrate remarkable powers of observation. The features of the man in this portrait, with his subtly modelled flesh, angular face, high cheekbones, long nose, and heavy-lidded eyes have been notably individualised. He gazes directly and somewhat seriously at the viewer, his brow furrowed and contemplative. His neatly fashioned beard and moustache are rendered with remarkable precision, offset by his concertinaed ruff. His doublet is of a muted black silk. The portrait as a whole is an astute psychological study of a man in his prime, probably in his late thirties.