Portrait of a Man, possibly Jan Snoeck
Jan Gossaertc. 1530
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Washington, DC, United States
Gossaert's portrait shows a merchant seated in a cramped yet cozy space,surrounded by the tools of his trade. Scattered over the table are such useful items as a talc shaker used to dry ink, an ink pot, a pair of scales for testing the weight (and hence the quality) of coins, and a metal receptacle for sealing wax, quill pens, and paper. Attached to the wall are balls of twine and batches of papers labeled "miscellaneous letters" and "miscellaneous drafts." The monogram on the sitter's hat pin and index finger ring have led to his tentative identification as Jan Jacobsz Snoeck.
The artist's Netherlandish love of detail and texture combine with his admiration for the massiveness of Italian High Renaissance art to achieve here what might be termed a monumentality of the particular. At the same time, the sitter's furtive glance and prim mouth are enough to inform us of the insecurity and apprehension that haunted bankers in the 1530s, when the prevailing moral attitude was summed up by the Dutch humanist Erasmus, who asked, "When did avarice reign more largely and less punished?"
More information on this painting can be found in the Gallery publication _Early Netherlandish Painting_, which is available as a free PDF <u>https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/research/publications/pdfs/early-netherlandish-painting.pdf</u>
- Title: Portrait of a Man, possibly Jan Snoeck
- Creator: Jan Gossaert
- Date Created: c. 1530
- Physical Dimensions: overall: 63.6 x 47.5 cm (25 1/16 x 18 11/16 in.) framed: 83.8 x 68.6 x 5.7 cm (33 x 27 x 2 1/4 in.)
- Provenance: (John Smith, London); sold 4 August 1836 to the Marquesses of Lansdowne, London and Bowood, Wiltshire;[1] sold by Lord Landsowne in January 1967 to (Thos. Agnew & Sons, London);[2] purchased January 1967 by NGA. [1] This information comes from the account books of John Smith, where the citation refers to "No. 1296, Portrait of a Merchant (highly finished) Q. Messys." The painting was sold to the 3rd Marquess for 100 pounds. See e-mail of 6 March 2018 from Francis Russell, who kindly sent the information to NGA curator David Brown, in NGA curatorial files. [2] The painting was first exhibited in 1866; London, British Institution, 1866, _Exhibitions of Works by Ancient Masters_, no. 70. The citation was provided by Lorne Campbell. The date of the exhibition is sometimes erroneously given as 1886. Acquisition and sales date per Stockbook no. 5664, Thomas Agnew & Sons, London.
- Medium: oil on panel
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