Portrait of a Man in Armour

Represented in three-quarter length is a man of about 30 to 35 years old in a suit of armour. The soldier wears a dark wig with long curls, which fall over his shoulders, and a little black moustache decorates his upper lip. His black harness reflects the light coming from the left and this lighting also makes the right hand and the face of the sitter stand out. Under the cuirass, which covers his chest, arms and waist, the man wears a white, probably linen shirt of which the ends show both at the collar and the cuff. An elaborate folded lace scarf and a red silk knotted tie are wrapped around his neck. Contrary to the dark wig and the black armour-plating the red and white of these two shawls provide a nice colour accent, as do also the brown red nails of the harness.

The military man rests his right elbow on a table over which hangs an Anatolian carpet. In the background behind the table a violet coloured curtain is draped. To have the sitter better stand out against the background,

Netscher made the background colour somewhat lighter behind the head of the man and to the right of him. In the lower right the decorated hilt of a sword can be seen, which the sitter has tied around his waist. This is undoubtedly an officer’s sword, indicating the high military rank of this soldier. The original, nicely calligraphed signature of the artist is in the lower right corner, as is the date of the year in which this portrait was made, 1670.

Signed and dated lower right: CNetscher. Fe. / 1670. (C and N interlaced)      
Oil on panel, 44.5 x 34 cm