A man stands turned slightly to his right, gazing directly outward with a calm, steady expression. His right hand rests on his chest, while his left hand, gloved and holding the other glove, emerges discreetly from beneath his dark cloak. The sitter’s grey hair is brushed back from his forehead, and a pointed beard frames his face, lending an air of dignity.

Narrow cuffs edged with lace peek out from his sleeves, echoing the delicate detail of his collar. Bright light enters from the upper left, illuminating his face and hand while casting the rest of his form in deep shadow. The background is a dark grey, softly gradated and subtly illuminated to the right, creating a sense of depth and focus on the figure.

The brushwork is fine and controlled in the face and collar, capturing the textures of skin and lace, while broader, more fluid strokes shape the cloak. No secondary figures or objects are visible anywhere in the composition, and the man is depicted alone against an empty backdrop. The upper left and right corners of the painting are enveloped in deep shadow, blending seamlessly into the sitter’s dark cloak.

Light falls most strongly on the sitter’s forehead, nose, and the top of his right hand, while the lower part of his cloak and the area beneath his left arm remain almost entirely obscured in darkness. The paint handling in the background is exceptionally smooth and soft, with barely perceptible brushstrokes, while the edges of the cloak are loosely defined, merging into the shadowy ground. Both portraits entered the museum’s collection through the bequest of Mrs. H.

O. Havemeyer in 1929, after being acquired from Chateau Maurik, Vucht. The museum’s records note that the provenance of the work does not extend further back than its purchase from Maurick Castle, and that the identification of the sitter as a Van Beresteyn is based on tradition rather than documented evidence.