Description:A wonderfully detailed and charismatic portrait, this exquisite work illustrates the technical mastery and artistic vision of van Dyck. Susterman's stately, yet approachable expression reflects van Dyck's refined ability to comfort and relax his subjects, resulting in a realistic and acute portrait.
Originally created in 1641, this portrait had become part of a series of 84 engraved portraits created by van Dyck in hopes of compiling his work in a published portfolio entitled "Iconographie." The plate has also been marked in the lower left of the plate "Ant. Van Dyck fecit aqua forti." Beneath the engraved name is the inscription: ANTVERPIENSIS PICTOR MAGNI.
According to Frank Newbolt, van Dyck has depicted Sustermans in such a way as to have revealed acute personality traits and characteristics otherwise overlooked by other portrait makers of the time. As a fellow painter, Susterman has been personified in one of van Dyck's greater works, "As there is no finer etching known" (19) . The full pose of the subject reveals that Susterman is facing us head-on, allowing for a greater sense of established dignity and refinement on behalf of Susterman. We can see the magnificence of his entire jacket, coupled with an indignant yet indifferent stare with a facial expression shaded and highlighted as if it were a photograph.
Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
It is fully documented and referenced in (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that I will enclose with the sale of the work) :
1) Newbolt, Frank. Etchings of Van Dyck, Ballantyne Press: London. Listed as cat. no. 16 on pg. 19 and illustrated as plate XVI.
2) Hind, Arthur. Van Dyck: His Original Etchings and His Iconography, Houghton Mifflin: New York, 1915. Listed on pg. 102 as W. 12; D. 12 and illustrated on pg. 45.
About the Framing:
Conservation framed with museum quality archival materials, this work is mounted in a Spanish-style black and gold moulding whose intricately carved fleur-de-lys accents compliment van Dyck's engraved mastery. The refined gold leaf details with subtle hints of red and black highlights the shadows and remarkable details within this work. Completed with white, linen-wrapped mats and a matching gold inner fillet, this work is set behind an archival Plexiglas cover.
