Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641), with additional etching and engraving attributed to Lucas Vorsterman the Elder (1595/96–1674/75)
Jan van den Wouwer, 1632 (?)
Etching and engraving (second state)
9 3/4 × 6 1/4 in. (24.9 × 15.8 cm)
Rijksprentenkabinet, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Van Dyck must have met the distinguished lawyer and philologist Jan van den Wouwer in Peter Paul Rubens’s circle and may have portrayed him before leaving for Italy in 1621. A later painting (Pushkin Museum, Moscow), in which Van den Wouwer wears a cloak trimmed with leopard skin and a golden chain, was the basis for this print. Its first, purely etched state is believed to be by Van Dyck. In the second state, shown here, an engraver, possibly Lucas Vorsterman, modeled the face more thoroughly with fine burin lines, refining the print with a wonderful luster.