Portrait of Rutgaert Janszen

This captivating portrait depicts the Dutch poet Rutgaert Janszen (1536—1602), a friend of Karel van Mander whose famous Schilder-Boeck became the subject of Janszen’s celebratory poem. The preparatory drawing has been preserved in Teyler’s Museum in Haarlem. Small medallion-shaped print portraits were popular in the Netherlands at the end of the 16th century. They were also made in the workshop of Hendrick Goltzius where the young de Gheyn had apprenticed. In these portraits, de Gheyn shows his talent as an astute observer who depicts his models with a sense for realism and individual psychology.