Portrait of canon Frans de Cock, cantor of the cathedral of Antwerp

This 1697 portrait of Canon Frans de Cock, cantor of Antwerp Cathedral, records a commission Kneller received from the Low Countries that documents his reputation extending to the European continent despite his primarily English practice. Kneller was born in Lübeck and trained in Amsterdam before establishing himself in England, and his continental European connections occasionally resulted in commissions from Flemish and Dutch sitters. Canon de Cock's portrait by the principal painter to the English king was a status marker of cosmopolitan distinction — the same painter who served William III recording the image of an Antwerp cathedral official. The commission demonstrates the geographic reach of Kneller's professional reputation.

The ecclesiastical portrait renders the canon with dignified musicianly bearing, Kneller's technique showing subtle differences from his English work in its treatment of the Flemish sitter's features and clerical costume.