The fact that Maes painted this sitter twice, appearing a year older in a painting in the National Gallery, London, suggests that he was a man of some standing and importance. There are no symbols in the picture which could point to his profession or identity. Even wealthy men in the 1660s did not wear elaborate dress, as this was deemed irreligious and ostentatious by all the authorities of the different Protestant sects in Holland. This is a strong contrast to male portraiture in Southern Europe at the same time.

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