A wonderfully detailed and charismatic portrait, this exquisite work illustrates the technical mastery and artistic vision of Van Dyck. Cornelius Vander Geest's stately yet approachable expression reflects Van Dyck's refined ability to comfort and relax his subjects, resulting in a realistic and acute portrait. Vander Geest was a spice merchant from Antwerp who used his wealth to support the Antwerp artists and to establish his art collection. He was also the dean of the Haberdashers Guild for those who sell small articles for sewing such as buttons, ribbons, and zippers. Vander Geest also served as a Maecenas, or a wealthy and enlightened patron of the arts. Van Dyck depicts Vander Geest as a stern yet noble man. His sharp eyes gaze to his right as he clasps his right wrist with his left hand. He appears as a powerful man used to giving commands and having them followed.

This portrait is a Mauquoy-Hendrickx State II (of VI) before the Giles Hendrickx edition, engraved by Paulus Pontius (Antwerp, 1603 - Antwerp, 1658) in collaboration with Anthony van Dyck (Antwerp, 1559 - London, 1641) as part of his Iconographie series of engraved portraits of famous people at the time. The plate has been marked in the lower left of the plate "Ant. van Dyck pinxcit" and in the lower right of the plate "Mart. vanden Enden excudit Cum privilegio. Beneath the engraved portrait is the inscription: CORNELIVS VANDER GEEST.
DOCUMENTED AND ILLUSTRATED IN:

1) Mauquoy-Hendrickx. L'Iconographie d'Antoine Van Dyck: Catalogue Raisonne I. Bruxelles: Bibliotheque Royale Albert I, 1991. Listed as catalogue no. 48 on pg. 135.

2) Mauquoy-Hendrickx. L'Iconographie d'Antoine Van Dyck: Catalogue Raisonne II. Bruxelles: Bibliotheque Royale Albert I, 1991. Illustrated as catalogue no. 48 on pg. 34.

3) A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.

About the Framing:
Framed to archival museum grade conservation standards, this piece is framed in a complementary moulding with silk mats and optical grade Plexiglas.