The artist was the son of the painter Pieter Pourbus (1523/4-1584 and would have trained with him in Bruges. He then went to Antwerp where he worked with Frans Floris. His religious pictures were commissioned by patrons outside Antwerp. After 1577 he seems to have specialised increasingly in portraiture, possibly because of sincere Calvinist beliefs.
Frans Pourbus the Elder
1545 - 1581
Paintings by Frans Pourbus the Elder
Although we know the name and approximate date of birth of the sitter of this portrait, he has not yet been fully identified. His robes suggest he was a Benedictine, or possibly Augustinian, canon. The coat of arms in the upper right corner – that of the Boulengé de la Hainière family – is the sa...
Not on display