Atrributed to Cornelius Johnson (1593-1661) Portrait of a Gentleman

Atrributed to Cornelius Johnson (1593-1661)

Portrait of a Young Gentleman

Oil on panel. Held in a 19th century giltwood frame.

Inscribed: An Dom 1620 ; Aetas. Sue 33.

Believed to be the First Viscount Falkland.

Provenance: Wengraf (Old Masters Galleries) Ltd c.1970; Private Collector, England. Then by descent

Portrait dated 1620

Dimensions refer to external frame measurements

Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen, also recorded as Cornelius Jonson van Ceulen and Cornelius Johnson and many other variants was born on 14 October 1593 and was buried on 5 August 1661. He was an English painter of portraits but was born of Dutch or Flemish parents. From 1618 to 1643 he was active in England but moved to Middelburg in the Low Countries in 1643. From 1646 until 1652 he lived in Amsterdam, before re-establishing himself in Utrecht, where he died.

Johnson painted many portraits of the emerging English gentry during the early Stuart Period. His early works were panel paintings, such as this example, within feigned ovals. His style varied during the course of his career as he was able to assimilate the new influences of each decade into his own style. He was particularly accurate in his depiction of clothing and his output serves as a useful historical reference to fashion in the first half of the 17th century.

Johnson is recorded as charging £5 for a portrait, a large sum in 17th century England, compared to lesser artists who asked between ten shillings and one pound. He has been described as one of the most prolific painters to have been working in England at this time and he is considered by some to be superior to his contemporary Gheeraerts.