A bold portrait of a gentleman in armour attributed to highly regarded Belgian artist, Adrien De Witte (1850-1935).

It’s been painted with a great degree of confidence and the beard is particularly well rendered. There’s an intelligent use of light and shade throughout the face.

De Witte trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Liège and later studied in Italy at the Darchis foundation in Rome. He’s regarded as one of the brightest talents to emerge from the Academy in Liège where he was also a director from 1910 to 1913.

The portrait has a strong attribution as it was previously held for many years in a private collection alongside other works by the artist.