Portrait of a Gentleman

The depiction of married couple on separate panels painted either at the time of the wedding or in commemoration of it, was a popular portrait genre. The husband routinely occupies the honorary position on his wife’s right side, as is the case with this pair. The active male role is underscored here by the sitter’s slight turn into profile as well as his more animated gestures. In contrast, the woman’s pose is passive but her beauty makes a brilliant show, and the flattering illumination in full light underscores the fashionable paleness of her skin.