Portrait of a Man

A Dutch-born painter who settled in the great French trading center of Lyon, Corneille de Lyon specialized in vivid, small-scale portraits. His sitters were drawn from court circles and from the upper bourgeoisie of merchants and officials; Corneille invariably depicted them against a relatively flat, jewel-toned background that permitted the viewer to focus on the acutely observed features. The body typically appears small in relation to the head, yet through silhouette and a few telling details of dress, Corneille was able to evoke the demeanor of his subjects- in this case of this unknown young man, a restrained elegance.

Credit: Gift of Everett D. Graff