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Flemish, 'Portrait of a Boy holding a Rose', about 1660

About the work

We don't know who the boy in the portrait is, or who painted it. It was once thought to have been the work of François Duchastel, a Flemish painter living in Ghent, but the attribution is now considered uncertain. From his ornate, costly costume, fashionable in the Southern Netherlands in the 1660s, we know that the boy is probably the child of nobility.

In spite of his costume, the boy’s wide eyes and arched brows appear a little shy and uncertain. His hand thrusts out of his sleeve to present the rose – as if from the mouth of a trumpet – but he holds it delicately between finger and thumb, perhaps nervous of its thorns. The flower is important: it may be a family symbol, or a token of a betrothal. Noble children as young as eight might be promised in a future marriage as a political alliance.

Key facts

Full title
Portrait of a Boy holding a Rose
Artist
Flemish
Date made
about 1660
Medium and support
oil on canvas
Dimensions
93.4 × 64.8 cm
Acquisition credit
Bequeathed by Henry Vaughan, 1900
Inventory number
NG1810
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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