Portrait of a Man, possibly Jan Snoeck – (Jan Gossaert (Mabuse)) ◄ Previous Next ►

Artist: Jan Gossaert (Mabuse)

Date: 1530

Size: 84 x 69 cm

Technique: Oil On Panel

Shown from about the waist up behind a forest-green desktop, a man with smooth, pale pink skin writes in an open book with a quill pen as he looks at us, surrounded closely by papers, pens and ink, and other objects in this vertical portrait painting. His body is angled a little to our left but he tips his head slightly back and looks at us from the corners of his dark brown eyes under arched brows. He has a short, round nose, high cheekbones, and his pale pink lips are slightly pursed. His short, chestnut-brown hair curls over his ears, and bangs sweep across his forehead. His black beret is adorned over his right eyebrow, on our left, with a metallic badge with an intertwined 'I A S.' He wears a crimson-red jacket with puffy red sleeves decorated with black bands. Black lapels open onto a dark garment that has a pewter-gray panel over the upper chest and gray sleeves. The white garment beneath peeks out along the neckline and cuffs at his wrists. His left hand, on our right, rests with fingers extended on a page with writing in the open book, and he wears a gold ring incised with “IS” on his forefinger and a gold band with a ruby-red gem on his pinkie. He writes the beginning of a word with his other hand. In front of him, on the ledge, is a talc shaker pierced with tiny holes in the top, a magnifying glass, a black inkpot, and a small pair of scissors. Near one elbow, to our right, is a pile of coins, a pair of scales with weights, a small leather-bound book, and a receptacle for rolled-up paper and quills. A thick sheaf of curling, crinkled papers hangs to either side of his head. The stack to the left is marked “Alrehande Misseven” and the stack to our right is labeled “Alrehande Minuten.” A black dagger, a tassel, and a set of at least four orbs about the size of ping pong balls hangs between the sheafs, against the dark background.