Contact gallery for price		Jan Jansz. Westerbaen I c. 1600/1602 - The Hague - 1686 A Portrait of a Man Oil on panel 28 x 23 inches (71 x 58 cm) The date of birth of Jan Jansz Westerbaen is not precisely known. Not much younger than his brother Jacob, Jan Jansz. was most likely born between 1600 and 1602. In 1619 he was a pupil of Evert Maes and in 1624 he became a master in the painters guild. Six years later, in 1630 he married the widow Maria Bartelmeesdr. Suijster, and had a son whom they named Jan Jansz. the Younger. Maria died in 1652, shortly after their son was married. Through the years Jan Jansz. was actively involved in the board of the painter’s guild; from 1642-1645 and 1650-1652 he served as chairman. Despite the fact that his name and his son's name appear on the list with artists who in 1656 were invited to join the Confrere Pictura, Jan Jansz. stayed loyal to his old guild for many years. Eventually, he did join the Pictura and worked for them as a chairman from 1659 to 1661 and from 1663 to 1665. Westerbaen was one of the many talented portraitists working in The Hague in the 17th century. In 1656 he lived in a house on the Nieuwe Burgwal, which he sold in 1677. Before that he had lived in the Wagenstraat. His capital was then estimated for taxes at about 4800 guilders (c. $1920). He later moved to the Proveniershuis aan het Zieken, where he wrote an extra section for his testament from 5 December 1685 to 1686. He died in 1686, when he was already over 80 years old. Today there are only a few known examples of the master's work. The two most closely related portraits to our painting are at the Mauritshuis in The Hague and the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin. Both of these sitters were men, dressed in black with white-collar ruffs and they both evoke similarities in the handling of the face, the hair and the clothes to our painting. Rudy Ekkart, Director of the RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History) has studied our painting in its original and has dated it to 1640. Our picture demonstrates Westerbaen's realistic style and use of strong light, composing a striking portrait. Depicted is a man, his neck sporting a fashionable and elaborate white collar. His bushy mustache spans his upper lip, nearly concealing his mouth. While his expression could perhaps be interpreted as pensive, the man's dimpled right cheek simultaneously points to one of mirth. Attention to small details, such as the wrinkled skin or the texture of the white ruffles, as cast in the strong light cut sharply into the dark background. To accentuate this crisp dynamism, the artist employs bright, cool tones in the face and garments. The predominately pale flesh tones used in the skin is relieved by the subtle use of rose and sepia tones in the cheeks and lower lip. Rich hues and textures are furthermore echoed in the man's velvet robes, with black on black detail, sumptuously embellished with a fur trim. His cap indicates that he was perhaps minister, or at the least, a conservative man of his day.