A late 17th early 18th century portrait

Jacob Ferdinand Voet, born in Antwerp in 1639 and died in Paris on 26 September 1689, was a Flemish Baroque portrait painter. His career took him to Italy and France, where he executed numerous portraits for the European aristocracy and elite of his time. Voet is regarded as one of the most talented and fashionable portraitists of the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

The sitter is depicted in a bust-length portrait, turned slightly three-quarters towards the viewer, against a dark background that contrasts with the vivid brilliance of his red costume, richly adorned with gold-thread embroidery and floral motifs.

His abundant brown hair, worn long and curled in the fashion of the reign of Louis XIV, frames his face. A wide red silk cravat, tied around his neck, accentuates the white of his shirt, embellished with a finely worked lace jabot and cuffs. The sitter delicately holds in his hand a small oval box used for carrying consecrated hosts, known as a custode.

The quality of the rendering of the fabrics, the meticulous attention to the details of the lace and embroidery, together with the particularly luminous palette, are characteristic of the art of European portraiture during the Grand Siècle.

Dimensions including frame: 81 cm wide × 95 cm high.

Dimensions excluding frame: 58 cm wide × 73 cm high.