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The portrait of this strikingly well-dressed gentleman, and its companion-piece, the portrait of a lady (Staatliche Museen, Berlin) were probably painted on the occasion of their marriage, as indicated by the pair of wedding gloves lying on the table beside the woman. The identity of the couple is not known.
De Keyser painted these portraits according to the custom of the time, by which husband and wife were portrayed on separate canvases or panels. The paintings hung next to each other, the portrait of the man on the left, that of the woman on the right, so that they both looked toward the centre. In virtually all portraits made to this formula, the light comes from the left. The result is that the averted area of the man's face is in shadow, while the woman's face is turned to the light.
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