Portrait of an old man in profile

This profile portrait of an old man, painted around 1519, shows Metsys engaging with a portrait format that was archaic by early sixteenth-century standards—the strict profile had largely been abandoned in favor of three-quarter views since the mid-fifteenth century. Metsys may have chosen the format deliberately, perhaps copying an earlier medal or portrait, or creating a character study of old age rather than a formal likeness. Metsys was the leading portraitist of early sixteenth-century Antwerp, a city then at the center of European commerce and culture.

The profile format allows Metsys to explore the contours of aging with almost clinical precision—the sagging jawline, prominent nose, and deeply lined skin painted with unsentimental observation.