Portrait of a Man by the Circle of Van der Goes in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 2011

Portrait of an Old Man
ca. 1470–75


Object Details

Artist: Hugo van der Goes (Netherlandish, Ghent, active by 1467–died 1482 Roode-Klooster)

Date: ca. 1470–75

Medium: Oil on paper, laid down on wood

Dimensions: Overall 8 3/4 x 6 1/2 in. (22.2 x 16.5 cm)

Classification: Paintings

Credit Line: Purchase, 2009 Benefit Fund, Hester Diamond Gift, Victor Wilbour Memorial Fund, Mary Harriman Foundation and Friends of European Paintings Gifts, Alfred N. Punnett Endowment Fund, Marquand and Charles B. Curtis Funds, and University Place Foundation Gift, 2010

Accession Number: 2010.118


In this closely observed and sympathetic portrayal of an old man, special attention is given to how light models the subject’s wrinkled, time-worn face. This objective realism is characteristic of the paintings of Hugo van der Goes, especially those of the early 1470s. However, Hugo’s works do not include independent portraits, and additionally, the technique of oil on paper is relatively rare. The extremely tight cropping of the image, uniform brownish background, and absence of any projecting shadow from the head indicate that this portrait was made as a detailed preliminary study for inclusion in a larger painting.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/440840