Portrait of Willem Fransz. Duyst van Santen
by RAVESTEYN, Jan Antonisz. van, Oil on panel, 67 x 56 cm
The sitter of this portrait is Willem Fransz. Duyst van Santen (1564-1610), a member of a leading Northern Dutch Regent Family in Delft. The companion piece represents his second wife, Catherine de Rechteren (born 1567). The details in these portraits confirm the couple’s wealth and social status. In particular, Catherine’s costume is of the greatest luxury, inspired by the Spanish fashion of the late 16th century, and worn in Flanders and the Northern Netherlands from 1600 onwards.