Lot Essay
Cornelis Jonson I was a follower of Sir Anthony van Dyck and may have trained in the studios of Arnoldus van Ravestyn and Michiel Jansz. Mierevelt. The present picture, one of his most charming works, captures the natural expressiveness of the young sitter, who has been tentatively identified as Lucius Cary, 3rd Viscount Falkland (1632-1649), son of the celebrated Lucius Cary 2nd Viscount who died at the Battle of Newbury in 1643. Indeed, it would be surprising if the 3rd Viscount had not sat for Jonson, as his father and grandfather were among the artist's most dedicated patrons.