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Portrait of a Man, Possibly an Architect or Geographer

1597
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 640
Thought to be Rubens’s earliest dated work, this oil on copper is one of the few known paintings by the artist completed before his departure from Antwerp for Italy in 1600 and attests to his sensitivity as a portraitist. The unknown gentleman holds a watch, an architect’s or draftsman’s square and a pair of dividers, a drafting tool. These may reference his profession, but the encased timepiece is a conventional allusion to mortality.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Portrait of a Man, Possibly an Architect or Geographer
  • Artist: Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, Siegen 1577–1640 Antwerp)
  • Date: 1597
  • Medium: Oil on copper
  • Dimensions: 8 1/2 x 5 3/4 in. (21.6 x 14.6 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection, 1982
  • Object Number: 1982.60.24
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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Rubens, Helena Fourment (1614–1673), and Their Son Frans (1633–1678), Peter Paul Rubens Flemish, Oil on wood
Rubens, Helena Fourment (1614–1673), and Their Son Frans (1633–1678)
Peter Paul Rubens
ca. 1635
Cosimo II de' Medici (1590–1621), Grand Duke of Tuscany, Justus Sustermans Flemish, Oil on canvas, transferred from wood, Flemish
Cosimo II de' Medici (1590–1621), Grand Duke of Tuscany
Workshop of Justus Sustermans
1597–1681
The Backgammon Players, Philip Webb British, Painted pine, oil paint on leather, brass, copper, British
The Backgammon Players
Designer Philip Webb
Manufacturer Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co.
Painted by Sir Edward Burne-Jones
1861
The Golden Age, Joachim Wtewael Netherlandish, Oil on copper
The Golden Age
Joachim Wtewael
1605
Portrait of Nicolas Trigault in Chinese Costume, Peter Paul Rubens Flemish, Black, red, and white chalk, blue pastel, and pen and brown and black ink on light brown laid paper
Portrait of Nicolas Trigault in Chinese Costume
Peter Paul Rubens
1617

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