This is one of the finest early works by the brilliant portrait-painter Anthony van Dyck. It is entirely possible that here he depicted the family of the landscape artist Jan Wildens. Without striving to reveal the couple's feelings, through the compact composition he created an impression of trusting intimacy and harmony between them. Van Dyck's early portraits are marked by strong links to the national traditions of portraiture that included not idealizing the sitters, a simple, concise compositional approach and the virtuoso conveying of texture. Still loyal to the Low Countries tradition, here the artist elaborately depicts the details of elaborate costume, but his manner is already light and free and he confidently models form with the brush.The portrait came into the Hermitage before 1774.