This portrait is among Gossaert's most extraordinary achievements in the genre. With unrivaled mastery, the artist rendered the man's face, smoothly modeling the paint in the flesh tones. The many different textures of the sitter's attire - which almost seems to swallow him up, reinforcing his monumental presence - likewise attain a remarkable level of illusion. Accessories such as the hat badge, dagger sheath (on which we read the man's personal motto, Autre que vous je n'aime, or "I love no other but you"), and gold fish pendant (which appears to bite his finger), further accentuate his status. The identification of the man as Charles of Burgundy, son of Baudouin of Burgundy and grandson of Philip the Good, has increasingly found acceptance. (http://www.metmuseum.org)