
Read the visual description
The image depicts a man seated and facing the viewer. He has a long, pointed beard and wears a tall headpiece. His head is slightly turned to his left. The man has deep-set eyes, a prominent nose, and a calm expression. He is wearing a long robe-like garment and a mantle or wide sash. The portrait is framed within an oval with a decorative border. In the top left corner, there is a crest with a coat of arms containing three symbols. The background features diagonal hatched lines, creating texture. The image appears to be engraved.
National Gallery of Art · Print
Aluaso Semedo
Balthasar Moncornet
- Date
- 1657
- Medium
- engraving on laid paper
- Dimensions
- plate: 16.5 x 11.6 cm (6 1/2 x 4 9/16 in.) sheet: 25.1 x 18.1 cm (9 7/8 x 7 1/8 in.)
- Classification
- Accession number
- 1991.208.65
- Credit line
- Gift of John O'Brien
- Time span
- 1651 to 1700
- Department
- CG-E
Subjects and terms
- French
- male
- portrait
- engraving
- Semedo, Alvaro
Inscription
lower right in plate: B. Moncornet excudit; lower left in plate: 1657.; across bottom in plate: P. Aluaro Semedo Portughese, della Comp. a di Giesu, Venuto a Roma / Procurator delle prou. del Giapone et della China nell'an. 1642.
NGA object ID 78631. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.