This painting and its pendant, portraits of an unidentified couple, were long regarded as works by Van Dyck’s own hand (s. inv. nr. 368). But recent research has shown that they are almost certainly workshop creations. They display inferior quality compared to portraits known to be autograph works. X-ray images reveal white ovals underneath the faces: evidently, these areas were initially left blank. Apparently, such essentially preprepared portrait paintings were produced in Van Dyck’s workshop and held at the ready for impromptu commissions—all that remained was to insert the client’s facial features.