This accomplished portrait of an unknown boy in his early teens was painted between 1620 and 1640.

The artist has depicted his sitter with great sensitivity, delicately observing the transition of flesh tones his flushed pink cheeks and picking out the wisps of hair around his ears with fine brush strokes. The dramatic play of light and shadow serves to emphasize both the sitter’s face and the gold buttons decorating his doublet, as they shine out against the dark background.

The richness of the boy’s clothing indicates that he was  from an affluent family and, despite his tender age, he engages the viewer
with the intense and direct gaze of a confident young man.