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Michiel le Blon

engraving of man with short curly hair and bear,  draped clothing, lace collar, with cursive caption

Theodor Matham (1605–1676) after Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641)
Michiel le Blon, 1632–54
Engraving (sixth state)
11 3/8 × 7 5/16 in. (28.9 × 18.6 cm)
Rijksprentenkabinet, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Michiel le Blon’s combined careers as a diplomat and art dealer brought him to the Netherlands, Flanders, Italy, England, and Sweden. Among other transactions, he was involved in major sales from the collections of Peter Paul Rubens and (after his death) Van Dyck. Probably commissioned by Le Blon himself, perhaps as a kind of calling card, this portrait was made by the outstanding Dutch engraver Theodor Matham after a painting by Van Dyck from around 1630. The calligraphic French inscription describes Le Blon as "agent of the Queen and Crown of Sweden."

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