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Although Frans Pourbus's career was brief, his talent as a portraitist has been universally recognised. The present painting is probably the artist's self-portrait at the beginning of his career. It is a work of youth, in which we can feel, despite some blunders, the artist's pride for his art and the promise of a successful career. On the removal of the old varnish, the signature and the date have been discovered, albeit today hardly visible to the naked eye.
Whether or not it is Frans Pourbus's self-portrait cannot be proved on the basis of documentary evidence. The portraits of Frans Pourbus the Elder are rare and often posthumous, therefore, unreliable.
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