Portrait of Cornelis van Poelenburgh
1650
unspecified
From the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst
Portrait of Cornelis van Poelenburgh is a 1650 unspecified by Unknown, held at Statens Museum for Kunst.
This black-and-white portrait shows a man with curly hair and a mustache. He wears a dark coat over a white ruff collar, and his right hand rests on his chest. The background is plain and dark, so the face stands out clearly. The painting uses strong light and shadow to shape the man’s face—his cheekbones and collarbone catch the light, while the rest stays dark. This trick makes the face look three-dimensional. This technique is called *chiaroscuro*.
