You’ll immediately notice, no doubt, that this is the work of an exceptionally talented portrait painter. Look at this young man’s intense gaze, his countenance, his beautifully rendered clothes and hair… This is a true individual. He is not centrally positioned, which makes the portrait seem less formal, and the background is plain. Samuel Crew, from Northamptonshire, who was a member of a prominent family, commands our full attention. Or are we looking at his brother, Nathaniel?
In any case, we find ourselves in England, where this canvas was painted in around 1650. By this date, the painter Peter Lely had been working there for around ten years. Lely trained in Haarlem but established his career in England. Portraiture was extremely popular with the nobility and courtiers. This was largely due to the work of a Flemish painter: Anthony van Dyck. After Van Dyck’s early death in 1640, Lely succeeded him as the court painter.
Lely did not forget his training in Haarlem – as evidenced by his sober portraits in the tradition of Frans Hals – but he also paid close attention to Van Dyck’s work. In turn, he became one of the most important portrait painters to the English nobility. In order to fulfil the huge demand, he operated an efficient studio. This portrait of Samuel or Nathaniel, however, is by his hand alone.