Who painted Portrait of young man?

Portrait of young man was painted by Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt in 1624.

Where can I see Portrait of young man?

Portrait of young man is held by Gemäldegalerie Berlin.

What movement is Portrait of young man?

Portrait of young man is associated with Dutch Golden Age.

Artwork

Portrait of young man

Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt , 1624

Portrait of young man is a paint painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt. It dates from 1624 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1624 by Dutch portraitist Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt, this copper painting presents a young male sitter rendered with restrained elegance. The work belongs to the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin and exemplifies the artist’s prolific output during the Dutch Golden Age, a period when portraiture flourished as a marker of personal status and civic identity.

Subject & Meaning

The figure is a youthful man with neatly arranged dark hair, a modest beard and mustache, and a contemplative gaze directed downward. He wears a stark white ruffled collar beneath a black jacket, attire that signals both modesty and the fashion of early‑17th‑century Dutch society. The subdued expression and muted background suggest a focus on individual character rather than narrative drama.

Technique & Style

Executed on a copper support, the painting benefits from the medium’s smooth surface, allowing Mierevelt to achieve fine detail and a luminous finish.

Executed on a copper support, the painting benefits from the medium’s smooth surface, allowing Mierevelt to achieve fine detail and a luminous finish. A delicate chiaroscuro model illuminates the face and folds of the clothing, creating a sense of three‑dimensionality. The restrained palette of browns, blacks, and whites enhances the contrast between light and shadow, emphasizing texture and form.

History & Provenance

After its completion, the portrait entered private collections before being acquired by the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, where it remains on display. Its provenance reflects the typical trajectory of Dutch Golden Age portraits, which were often commissioned by affluent patrons and later incorporated into museum holdings as representative examples of the era’s portraiture.

Artist & collection

Artist

Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt

Michiel Janszoon (abbr. Jansz.) van Mierevelt (Dutch pronunciation: ; also spelled Miereveld or Miereveldt; 1 May 1566 – 27 June 1641) was a Dutch painter and draftsman of the Dutch Golden Age.