Born in London to Dutch immigrant parents, Cornelius Johnson established himself as one of the leading portrait painters in England after 1619. During the 1620s and 1630s, he won several commissions from Charles I, ranging from miniatures to full-length portraits. During the Civil War, Johnson left for the Continent and spent the remainder of his life in Amsterdam, Middelburg, and (finally) Utrecht, taking the style of Anthony Van Dyck’s English period back to the Netherlands. This half-length portrait of an unknown man was painted near the end of Johnson’s career, while he was in Middelburg or Utrecht. The sitter’s costume indicates that he was a citizen of some rank, a member of the professional or merchant class. The armorial ring on his left hand suggests his membership of a guild, and Johnson has skillfully tailored the aristocratic portraiture of Van Dyck to suit the demands of the Dutch bourgeoisie. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016
