Self-portrait dressed as Colonel Cornelis Backer

The artist employs chiaroscuro to model the figure, allowing light to strike the face and coat, creating luminous highlights against deep shadows. This handling of light and texture emphasizes the richness of the fur and the sheen of the fabric, while the plain dark backdrop isolates the sitter, enhancing the three‑dimensional effect.

Wybrand Hendriks, noted for his portraiture and his long tenure as concierge of the Teylers Museum in Haarlem, produced this work during the later stage of his career. The painting has remained associated with the museum’s collection, reflecting Hendriks’s enduring connection to the institution he served.