Portrait of a Man with a Ring and Touchstone

This portrait of a man holding a ring, painted in 1617, is simple yet subtle. It was one of Werner van den Valckert's first portraits, but already his talent is evident. The man is leaning over a stone windowsill placed diagonally across the panel. Various suggestions have been made concerning the identity of the subject. Today, the consensus is that he was Bartholomeus Jansz. van Assendelft, a goldsmith and assayer from Leiden: he is holding a gold ring in one hand while the other rests on a touchstone. (http://www.rijksmuseum.nl)