A man with a white beard and mustache gazes directly outward, his face illuminated by soft light that models every wrinkle and furrow in his skin. He wears a black cap that covers his head, and a broad white collar emerges crisply from beneath a voluminous coat trimmed with rich brown fur. The fur is rendered with swift, textured brushstrokes that capture its softness and depth, while the coat itself is painted in deep, muted tones that recede into the shadowy background.

Light falls from the upper left, catching the sitter’s forehead, nose, and cheekbones, and casting gentle shadows that give the face a striking three-dimensional presence. The background is a plain, cool gray, which sets off the figure and the coat of arms without distraction. The brushwork varies across the surface: the face is finely modeled with smooth transitions, while the fur and background are handled more broadly, revealing the artist’s confident hand.

Every detail, from the glint in the eyes to the subtle pink in the cheeks, is observed with precision and restraint. The background transitions from a lighter gray near the top left to a darker gray toward the lower right, subtly enhancing the sense of depth. The edge of the white collar is sharply defined against the sitter’s neck, with crisp, angular lines that contrast with the softness of the fur.

The sitter’s left shoulder (on the right side of the painting) is painted with broader, darker strokes, blending into the shadowy lower corner. Frans Hals paints this portrait in 1611, capturing Jacobus Zaffius as his subject. This painting is documented in the Netherlands Institute for Art History under digital ID 10811. The museum’s record and Google Arts & Culture both confirm the attribution to Frans Hals and the date of 1611.