Portrait of Cornelis de Bruyn, Draughtsman and Traveler

Cornelis de Bruyn was a Dutch painter and traveler who published illustrated accounts of his journeys through the Levant, Persia, and Russia. Kneller's 1697 portrait places De Bruyn in the category of intellectual and explorer portraits that formed an important subset of his output. De Bruyn's travels gave him a reputation as an authority on the ancient East, and a portrait by the leading English painter marked his status within the European republic of letters.

De Bruyn is shown in three-quarter view with the informal but confident bearing Kneller brings to his portraits of intellectuals and travelers. Travel-related attributes or an exotic costume element may be included to reference his journeys. The face is modeled with Kneller's characteristic directness.