Portrait of a Newlywed, a drawing on vellum by Casper Casteleyn, dated 1646

9” x 7 ½” (23 x 19 cm) – Framed : 21 7/8” x 19 7/8” (55.5 x 50.5 cm)

Signed "Kasteleyn" lower left and dated 1646 upper right. The artist's identity is confirmed by two handwritten inscriptions on the verso: one in pencil "J Kasteleyn 1646" and the other, probably earlier, in pen "J Kasteleyn f 1646". The dates indicated (geb. Amsterdam 1606; gestorven 1664, i.e. born in Amsterdam 1606; dead in 1664) do not correspond at all to the information we have on this artist – they constitute perhaps biographical elements on the model?

This marvelous portrait on vellum is the work of a rare Dutch Golden Age artist, Casper Casteleyn, who has also drawn a closely related portrait now at the Fondation Custodia in Paris. The whiteness of the vellum brings out the almost photographic precision of the sitter's bust. He seems to be staring at us, comfortably seated on a chair with his shoulder resting on one of the uprights of the backrest...

1. Casper Casteleyn

Casper Casteleyn (also sometimes called Jasper, Kasteleyn or Kastelyn) was born around 1625 in Haarlem into a Mennonite family that played an important role in the Haarlem book trade. His father Vincent Casteleyn (c. 1585 - 1658) founded one of the first newspapers in the Netherlands, and was also the town's printer, an office taken over by his brother Abraham (c. 1628 / 1681).

Casper himself became a painter, as did his two brothers Johannes (c. 1612 - after 1665) and Vincent II (1609 - 1649). He became a member of the Haarlem Guild of Saint Luke in 1653, and lived in Amsterdam. Today, his is principally known through his history paintings.

2. Presentation of the portrait and related artworks

The restrained black chalk technique used in this portrait transposes a presumably black garment into a subtle harmony of grays, and magnifies the luxurious, padded character of the vellum used as a support.

Our model is depicted in a hieratic position, comfortably seated in a chair, slightly three-quarter viewed. His gaze, which seems to stare back at us, gives us the impression that we are seated opposite to him, but slightly lower down. His suit consists of a loose-fitting jacket, buttoned at the collar and sleeves, with a sort of cape wrapped around his left arm. The wide white canvas collar, fastened with a pompom lace, and the floppy hat are typical of male portraits of the period, as can be seen, for example, in Frans Hals' Portrait of Adriaen van Ostade, painted around the same time (between 1646 and 1648) in Haarlem (7th photo in the gallery).

Both portraits also feature gloves, an essential sign of membership in the social elite of the time, and present a contrast between the ungloved right hand (used in our portrait to support the arm at the abdomen level) and the gloved left hand.

One detail strikes us as highly amusing: the model is using the edge of the back of the chair he's sitting on to brace his shoulder, revealing a small head in the hollow of his shoulder (8th photo in the gallery). Similar chairs can be found in many contemporary paintings, such as for example Vermeer's The Wine Glass, painted between 1658 and 1660 (9th photo in the gallery).

Two other men portraits on vellum by Casper Casteleyn are known.

The first one is considered a self-portrait and measures 16 x 14 cm (10th photo in the gallery). It is signed by the artist, who indicates that he depicted himself at the age of 36. The second one is in the Fondation Custodia (11th photo in the gallery). Much more elaborated, it is also larger than the one we are presenting (32.1 x 25.4 cm) and dated slightly later (1652). It depicts a young man in three-quarter view, wearing a beret.

Although the Baroque setting of this portrait is very different from the austere setting of ours, there are a number of similarities between the two artworks, not only in the seated posture, with the elbow bent and the fist resting on the waist, but also in the use of the head of the armchair, which emerges amidst the drapery.

This portrait has a very special history, as it was stolen from Frits Lugt with its counterpart, a portrait of a woman, during the Second World War and returned to the Fondation Custodia without its counterpart in 1954. The presence of a counterpart woman portrait indicates that it was probably commissioned for their wedding or for their engagement, which is another point in common with our portrait...

3. Portraits of two newlyweds

Our portrait comes from the same collection as this portrait of a young woman (last photo in the gallery), also dated 1646, which leads us to believe that these are two newlyweds. Casteleyn specifies the young woman's age (20) below its signature, which would make her exactly 20 years younger than her husband, if we are to believe the biographical information on the reverse of our vellum. This age indication seems plausible to us, as the groom does not appear much older in this portrait than the artist in his self-portrait, painted when he was 36.

The young woman is portrayed slightly three-quartered, but this time facing left, also seated, hands folded, a handkerchief in her hands, shoulders slightly sloping. The modesty of her posture contrasts with the assertiveness of her husband's, and probably illustrates the age difference, but also possibly different temperament, between these two characters.

4. Framing
We have chosen to present this portrait in a 17th-century frame in the Dutch style, but of Italian, perhaps Venetian, origin.