Netherlandish School, 1568

Possibly Hendrik Willem Mesdag (1831–1915), The Hague (according to an inscription on the reverse);

Possibly by whom sold posthumously, The Hague, H.W. Mesdan, 4–5 May 1920, lot 116 (as 'Portrait of a Man by Jan de Baen');

Private collection, UK.

An inscription on the reverse of this painting suggests that it was in the collection of the artist Hendrik Willem Mesdag (1831–1915). It is possible that this is the same portrait of similar dimensions that was sold from Mesdag's collection in 1920 (see Provenance). Although attributed to Jan de Baen (1633–1702), an artist from the century after this painting was made, this artwork was described as depicting a man wearing an elegant Renaissance collar. No evidence survives at the Museum Mesdag to either confirm or deny this suggested provenance.

We are grateful to Merle Janssen, Junior Curator of the Van Gogh Museum, for her assistance in preparing this catalogue note.