Originally from The Hague, the painter Corneille lived in Lyon from 1533. While there he worked for the French queen Eleonore and was eventually appointed painter to her husband King François I. Corneille introduced a new form of small likenesses, distinguished by their great naturalism and lively portrayal of the sitters. The identity of this man with a penetrating gaze is unknown. His attire suggests a possible connection with a legal profession.