Who painted Portrait of a man with gloves in hand?

Portrait of a man with gloves in hand was painted by Rembrandt van Rijn in 1648-01-01.

Where can I see Portrait of a man with gloves in hand?

Portrait of a man with gloves in hand is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is Portrait of a man with gloves in hand?

Portrait of a man with gloves in hand is associated with Dutch Golden Age.

Artwork

Portrait of a man with gloves in hand

Rembrandt van Rijn , 1648

Portrait of a man with gloves in hand is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Rembrandt van Rijn. It dates from 1648 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The work is an oil portrait on mahogany panel dated 1648 and signed by Rembrandt.

The painting shows a man holding a pair of gloves, dressed in a black coat with a white, ruffled collar and a broad-brimmed hat; his identity remains uncertain, though earlier scholarship linked him to the figure of Cornelius Jansenius. The work is an oil portrait on mahogany panel dated 1648 and signed by Rembrandt. It is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, having passed through several owners including the Baring family and Benjamin Altman before its bequest in 1913.

The composition reflects typical 17th‑century portrait conventions, presenting the sitter in dignified attire that may have signified status or professional affiliation.

Technique & Style

The work is an oil painting executed on a mahogany panel, dated 1648 and measuring 80.6 by 67.3 centimeters. The sitter is depicted wearing a black coat with a flat white collar decorated with small oak-leaf motifs, paired with a wide-brimmed black hat, and holds a pair of gloves in his hands. The signature, inscribed at the lower right, reads "Rembran[dt] / f· 16[4]8," though the inscription is not fully legible; the date 1648 is consistent with the painting's style and execution, which align with Rembrandt's production between 1645 and 1650. The sitter's identity remains unknown, though he has historically been identified as Cornelius Jansenius.

History & Provenance

Painted in 1648 on a mahogany panel, this oil portrait is signed by Rembrandt in the lower right corner, though the date is partially obscured. The work's earliest recorded owner was Jacques I, Prince of Monaco. It was subsequently sold in Paris on January 22, 1812, for 5,071 francs to Lebrun, acting for Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand.

In 1831, Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton, acquired the piece for £500, after which it remained at The Grange in Hampshire until 1907. That year, Francis Baring, 5th Baron Ashburton, sold it to the London dealer Sulley and Co. The painting then passed to Parisian dealer Charles Sedelmeyer, who sold it in 1909 for $125,000 to New York collector Benjamin Altman. Altman bequeathed the work to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1913.

A documented exhibition history includes the Winter Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1890 (cat. no. 152, as "Portrait of a Man," loaned by Lord Ashburton).

Overview

Portrait of a Man Holding Gloves is a 1648 oil painting on mahogany panel by the Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn. The work depicts a male subject dressed in somber black attire, accented by a white collar and a black hat. He holds a pair of gloves in his right hand, a detail that anchors the composition and suggests a moment of pause or readiness.

The figure's face is rendered with a serious, direct gaze that engages the viewer, characteristic of Rembrandt's psychological depth in portraiture. The background consists of a dark, muted tone that isolates the figure and emphasizes the play of light on his face and hands. Created during the artist's mature period in Amsterdam, this portrait exemplifies Rembrandt's mastery of chiaroscuro and his ability to convey individual character through subtle modeling and restrained palette. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.