MICHIEL VAN MUSSCHER | Three quarter-length portrait of an artist seated at his writing table

This portrait has historically(1) been described as a self portrait of the artist but, due to the canvas hanging on the wall behind the sitter, has more recently been referred to as a portrait of a landscape painter (the identity of whom is as yet unidentified). Pieter van Thiel, in his 1974 article addressing Musscher's self portraits (see Literature), wrote that this unidentified 'writing' artist must also have been a collector, as the landscape hanging behind him appears to be of an earlier date than that of this portrait, certainly before 1650.(2)

1 It was last referred to as a self portrait of Michiel van Musscher in the exhibition catalouge of the Willem Russell collection, published in 1970 (see Literature).