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This portrait, half-length in armour, was almost certainly produced during Van Dyck's stay in Genoa, where the artist is thought to have made several visits during the years 1625 to 1627. Although the identification of the sitter of this painting is uncertain, it has been suggested that the figure is the model for the imaginary portrait of Prefect Raffaele Raggi (active between 1479-1524) in the National Gallery of Art, Washington. The Genoese Raggi were one of the leading families during the foundation of the republic in 1528, a century before the painter's visit to the city.
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