Mattias de' Medici
Justus Sustermans·c. 1660
Historical Context
This portrait of Mattias de' Medici, produced by the studio of Justus Sustermans around 1660, depicts the younger brother of Grand Duke Ferdinando II of Tuscany. Mattias (1613-1667) was a military commander who served in the Thirty Years' War and later governed Siena. Sustermans, a Flemish-born painter, served as official portraitist to the Medici court for over fifty years, producing hundreds of portraits of the ruling family.
Technical Analysis
The oil on canvas shows the Sustermans studio's polished portrait style, with precise rendering of the sitter's features and costume. The dark background and three-quarter pose follow the standard Baroque court portrait formula that Sustermans adapted from Van Dyck.
Provenance
Art market, London, as _Portrait of Lord Fairfax_ by Sir Peter Lely; purchased 1872 by Contance Cary [Mrs. Burton] Harrison; by descent in the Harrison family to her granddaughters (sisters), Ursula H. [Mrs. Charles, Jr.] Baird, Marshall, Virginia, and Sally H. [Mrs. Gerhard Heinrich] Dieke, Baltimore; gift 1950 to NGA.
