Lucas van Uffelen
Anthony van Dyck1622
Lucas van Uffelen is an oil painting by Anthony van Dyck, 1622, held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this artwork
Lucas van Uffelen (ca. 1622) is not a self-portrait by a Dutch nobleman but a portrait of a Flemish merchant by Anthony van Dyck, painted during the artist’s Genoese period and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work captures Lucas van Uffel (d. 1637), a wealthy Flemish merchant and art collector, at half length in an oil on canvas measuring 49 x 39 5/8 in. (124.5 x 100.6 cm) [3]. Van Dyck, a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England, executed this portrait around 1622, a moment when he was working in Italy after his success in the Spanish Netherlands [1][3].
Artist: Anthony van Dyck and the Genoese period
Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641), born the seventh child of a wealthy silk merchant in Antwerp, painted from an early age and became a master in the Guild of Saint Luke of Antwerp on 18 October 1617 [1]. By that time he was working in the studio of Peter Paul Rubens, who became a major influence on his work [1]. Van Dyck traveled to Italy, where he stayed until 1627, mostly in Genoa [1]. The portrait of Lucas van Uffel dates to ca. 1622, placing it squarely within this Italian sojourn [3]. Van Dyck’s Genoese portraits, including this one, established his reputation for aristocratic elegance and psychological penetration [1].
Subject: Lucas van Uffel, merchant and collector
The sitter, Lucas van Uffel, died in 1637 [3]. He was a Flemish merchant active in the international trade networks that connected the Spanish Netherlands, Italy, and beyond. The portrait’s presence in the Metropolitan Museum’s European Paintings department reflects its significance as a work of the Flemish Baroque tradition [3]. Van Dyck’s choice to depict a merchant rather than a hereditary noble underscores the social mobility of the period, when commercial wealth could command the same artistic attention as aristocratic lineage [1].
Provenance: the Benjamin Altman bequest
The painting entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art through the Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913 [3]. Altman, a prominent American department-store magnate and collector, assembled a distinguished group of European paintings that he left to the museum. The work remains on view in Gallery 618 [3].
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| ca. 1622 | Painted by Anthony van Dyck in Genoa [1][3] |
| 1913 | Bequest of Benjamin Altman to The Metropolitan Museum of Art [3] |
| Present | On view, Gallery 618, The Met [3] |
Technique: oil on canvas in the Baroque manner
The portrait is executed in oil on canvas, the medium favored by van Dyck and his contemporaries for its flexibility and richness [3]. Van Dyck’s technique, developed under Rubens’s influence, combined fluid brushwork with a refined sense of color and texture [1]. The half-length format, at 49 x 39 5/8 inches, allowed the artist to focus attention on the sitter’s face and hands, elements that convey both likeness and social presence [3].
Iconography: the merchant as gentleman
Van Dyck presents Lucas van Uffel in a manner that elevates commercial status to the level of aristocratic portraiture. The sitter’s attire and bearing, rendered with the artist’s characteristic elegance, signal wealth and cultivation [1]. The portrait participates in the broader tradition of Flemish and Genoese portraiture, where merchants and patricians alike commissioned images that asserted their place in the social hierarchy [1][2]. Van Dyck’s Iconography series, begun in the late 1620s, would later extend this interest in portraying notable contemporaries, though that project focused on artists and other famous figures rather than merchants [1].
Related works and artistic context
Van Dyck’s Genoese portraits, painted between 1621 and 1627, form a cohesive body of work that influenced the development of European court portraiture [1]. After his Italian stay, van Dyck spent five years in Flanders and from 1630 served as court painter for the Archduchess Isabella, Habsburg Governor of Flanders [1]. In 1632 he returned to London as the main court painter for Charles I [1]. The portrait of Lucas van Uffel thus stands at the beginning of a career that would redefine aristocratic portraiture across Europe [1]. The Getty ULAN records van Dyck as a Flemish painter, 1599–1641, active in England, confirming the international scope of his practice [2].
Frequently asked questions
Who painted the portrait of Lucas van Uffelen? The portrait was painted by Anthony van Dyck, the Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England [1][3].
When was the portrait created? The painting dates to ca. 1622, during van Dyck’s stay in Genoa, Italy [1][3].
Where is the painting located today? The portrait is in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it was placed through the Bequest of Benjamin Altman in 1913 and is on view in Gallery 618 [3].
Sources
3 sources checked- Anthony van Dyck — Wikipedia
Sir Anthony van Dyck (; Dutch: Antoon van Dijck [ˈɑntoːɱ‿vɑn ˈdɛik]; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque artist, who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy. The seve
- Dyck, Anthony van — Getty ULAN
Flemish painter, 1599-1641, active in England
- Lucas van Uffel (died 1637) — The Met (object 436253)
artist: Anthony van Dyck; date: ca. 1622; medium: Oil on canvas; dimensions: 49 x 39 5/8 in. (124.5 x 100.6 cm); department: European Paintings; credit: Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913; on view: Gallery 618
About the Author
Louie Drehmer, Curator, ArtWiki
Louie curates ArtWiki. Entries that have been through the source pass are cross-referenced against museum records, Wikidata, the Getty Union List of Artist Names, and Wikipedia — most of the collection has not been through it yet.
CC Public domain · Curated by Louie Drehmer · facts verified August 20, 2026
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