Caesar van Everdingen (Alkmaar 1616/17-1678)

Originally from Alkmaar, Van Everdingen was living in Haarlem by 1648 and served as dean of the Guild of Saint Luke in the mid-1650s. His skill at rendering weighty, sculptural, figures and smooth unblemished surfaces, visible in the present work, has caused him to be grouped with Pieter de Grebber and Salomon de Bray, the so-called 'Haarlem Classicists'. In this portrait of a man, previously attributed to Ferdinand Bol, the handsome sitter wears an impressive costume which incorporates a short doublet and lace-trimmed collar. As noted by Paul Huys Janssen, the carnation in his hand may indicate that this painting commemorates the young man's engagement (op. cit., p. 109).