Portrait of a Man

This portrait is not typical in Gossart’s oeuvre, but it is generally accepted as his work. The identity of the well-to-do sitter is not clearly established, however, it is assumed that the portrait represents Philip of Burgundy (1464-1524), Admiral of the Netherlands from 1498 to 1517 and bishop of Utrecht from 1517 to 1524.

Only people of significant means or high social standing would have had their portraits painted in the sixteenth century. This sitter has an especially commanding presence. He is dressed in somber finery and positioned in front of an arch, perhaps to suggest the carved bust of an ancient Roman, set in a niche.