By: Werner van den Valckert (1585-after 1635)
Created: 1617, Collection: Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands Rights: Public Domain
Beards are the fashion at the moment, which makes it easier to recreate many old paintings. For this one you basically only need to wear black cloths and a white collar, which you can make out of paper or a white shawl.
The man leans out of a window. In his right hand he holds up a gold ring set with a stone. His left hand rests on a touchstone, an instrument for assessing the purity of gold and silver objects.
The sitter might be the goldsmith Bartholomeus Jansz van Assendelft. In 1617, the year the portrait was painted, he was appointed assay-master of the Leiden goldsmiths’ guild, which would explain the inclusion of the touchstone.