Portrait of a man

Leyster's Portrait of a Man (1630) is an early work that demonstrates her ability to work competently in the more formal genre of individual portraiture alongside her better-known genre scenes. The sitter is unidentified, which was not unusual for Haarlem portraits of the period — many were speculative works displayed in studios to attract commissions rather than commissioned likenesses. Leyster's male portraits show her absorbing the Hals tradition of the direct, psychologically present sitter while maintaining her own somewhat warmer handling.

The portrait follows the Haarlem formula: three-quarter face against a neutral ground, dark costume relieved by a white collar, paint applied with confident directness. The handling echoes Hals's spontaneous style while being somewhat more careful and measured. The sitter's gaze is direct and characterful.