Unknown man, formerly known as Cornelius Johnson (Cornelius Janssen van Ceulen)
1 of 3 portraits of Cornelius Johnson (Cornelius Janssen van Ceulen)
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Unknown man, formerly known as Cornelius Johnson (Cornelius Janssen van Ceulen)
by Cornelius Johnson (Cornelius Janssen van Ceulen)
oil on canvas, 1636
30 1/4 in. x 24 1/2 in. (768 mm x 622 mm)
Purchased, 1920
Primary Collection
NPG 1887
Sitterback to top
- Cornelius Johnson (Cornelius Janssen van Ceulen) (1593-1661), Portrait painter. Sitter associated with 3 portraits, Artist or producer associated with 148 portraits.
Artistback to top
- Cornelius Johnson (Cornelius Janssen van Ceulen) (1593-1661), Portrait painter. Artist or producer associated with 148 portraits, Sitter associated with 3 portraits.
This portraitback to top
This painting was purchased as a self-portrait of English-born artist Cornelius Johnson. However, the sitter's features bear little similarity to authenticated portraits of Johnson.
The sitter is presented simply and without decoration. His sober costume, broad shoulders and pointed beard conform to contemporary ideals of masculinity and fashion. The high quality satin doublet suggests that the sitter was reasonably wealthy. His gesture of pointing towards his chest may be intended to emphasise his virtue, strength of character and self-reliance. Similar gestures are occasionally found in other portraits of writers, artists and successful professional men.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Cooper, John, Oliver the First: Contemporary Images of Oliver Cromwell, 1999, p. 15
- Cooper, Tarnya (introduction) Banville, John (character sketch) Chevalier, Tracy (character sketch) Fellowes, Julian (character sketch) McCall Smith, Alexander (character sketch) Pratchett, Terry (character sketch) Singleton, Sarah (character sketch) Trollope, Joanna (character sketch) Waters, Minette (character sketch), Imagined Lives: Portraits of Unknown People, 2011 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from December 2011 - June 2012), p. 49
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 693
Linked displays and exhibitionsback to top
- Imagined Lives: Portraits of Unknown People (3 December 2011 - 8 July 2012)
Events of 1636back to top
Current affairs
The third daughter of Charles I, Princess Anne, is born. She dies aged three of natural causes at Richmond Palace.Severe outbreak of the bubonic plague closes London theatres. They remain almost continuously closed until the end of the year.
Art and science
Canvases by painter, Sir Peter Paul Rubens are installed on the ceiling of the Banqueting House. Commissioned by Charles I, the paintings celebrate the life and wise government of his father, James I.The favourite portraitist of James I's queen Anne of Denmark, Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, dies.
International
Scottish army officer, Alexander Leslie, Earl of Leven, is appointed Swedish Field Marshal in Westphalia, and commands forces in a decisive victory over Imperial-Saxon forces at the Battle of Wittstock.North America's first college, New College, is founded in Massachusetts; two years later, its name would be changed to Harvard.
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