Portrait Of Man With Gloves Before A Column — Leiden School, Late 17th Century Oil On Oak

Portrait of Man with Gloves before a Column — Leiden School, late 17th century

Oil on oak panel. Dimensions: 29 × 39 cm; with frame: 40.5 × 51 cm.

This painting depicts a middle-aged man dressed in a dark coat with a broad white lace-trimmed collar, typical of the Protestant bourgeois elite of Leiden in the late 17th century. The pose is composed and dignified: the sitter is placed in front of a rich red drapery, with a column and a distant landscape in the background — elements that evoke a cultivated and prosperous context.

In his right hand he holds a pair of fine leather gloves, likely suede, painted with soft brushstrokes that convey the delicate texture of the material. This detail indicates a high social status and discreet elegance. On his ring finger he wears a seal ring bearing a family coat of arms, further emphasizing his position within an affluent class.

The painter demonstrates remarkable technical virtuosity in the depiction of the hand, rendered with lifelike flesh tones, subtle light, and precise anatomical detail — a hallmark of portraiture in the United Provinces, where the treatment of hands often signalled the painter’s mastery. The architectural column in the background reinforces the idea of a refined setting, alluding to humanist culture and classical taste.

Later frame in wood,.

Condition: good, with period patina and minor signs of age.