Cornelis de Vos: Portrait of Abraham Grapheus (1620)

(Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp, Belgium)

Cornelis de Vos (1585-1651) was well known Flemish portrait painter. Cornelis de vos joined the Saint Luke guild of Antwerp (the guild for artists) and this portrait is of a fellow member of that guild. The man on the painting is Abraham de Graef (or Abraham Grapheus) and is shown here as a 'gildeknaep' (guild-boy) of the guild. As a 'gildeknaep' he took care of several administrative tasks of the guild. The large necklace he is wearing is called a 'gildebreuk', an ceremonial necklace of that guild. The ceremonial chalices on the right are also property of the guild. Portait from around 1620.