Artwork
Portrait of a Man with Right Hand

Portrait of a Man with Right Hand is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Corneille de Lyon. It dates from 1530 and is held in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum. Created around 1530, this small-scale portrait on a wooden panel depicts a solitary male figure.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1530, this small-scale portrait on a wooden panel depicts a solitary male figure. The work is part of the Brooklyn Museum’s collection and is attributed to the French court painter Corneille de Lyon, who was active in England during the early sixteenth century.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is shown in a dark garment and a modest hat, his expression calm and inward-looking. His right hand rests on an unseen support, a compositional device that draws attention to the gesture while emphasizing the figure’s restrained demeanor.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on wood, the painting displays Corneille’s characteristic fine brushwork and limited palette. The background is rendered in a uniform tone, allowing the facial features and hand to stand out without distraction, a hallmark of the artist’s intimate portraiture.
History & Provenance
The panel entered the Brooklyn Museum’s holdings in the twentieth century, though its earlier ownership remains undocumented. Its attribution to Corneille de Lyon is based on stylistic analysis linking it to his known oeuvre of courtly portraits.
Context
Corneille de Lyon specialized in half-length portraits of English aristocracy and courtiers, often employing a muted color scheme and close-up format. This work exemplifies that tradition, reflecting the Tudor-era preference for personal likenesses that conveyed status through subtle visual cues.
Artist & collection
Artist
Corneille de Lyon was a Dutch painter of portraits who was active in Lyon, France, from 1533 until his death. In France and the Netherlands he is also still known as Corneille de La Haye after his birthplace, The Hague.



















