Oil on canvas

Signed and dated

The pendant of our portrait is most probably in the National Gallery of Scotland

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In this Portrait of a Mother and Son, Cornelis Johnson demonstrates his signature combination of compositional balance, technical precision, and quiet psychological insight. The sitters—presented against a dark, neutral background—are rendered with the calm poise typical of Johnson’s mature English-period portraits.

The mother’s composed gaze and dignified posture convey both status and serenity, while her jewelry and finely painted black gown emphasize modest affluence and moral virtue. Her son, positioned close by and dressed in a silvery doublet, looks directly toward the viewer with gentle confidence, his hand resting on his mother’s arm—a gesture symbolizing filial affection and continuity of lineage.

The painting exemplifies Johnson’s sensitivity to human relationships and his technical mastery of texture and tone. The restrained palette, alternating between soft whites, deep blacks, and muted blues, enhances the intimacy of the composition. Such portraits were designed not merely as likenesses but as enduring affirmations of family identity, virtue, and refinement, hallmarks of Johnson’s contribution to seventeenth-century portraiture in both England and the Netherlands.

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