Abraham de Vries (painter) genre portrait
Abraham de Vries (ca.1590–1649 or 1650) was a Dutch painter who was one of the leading portraitists of his age.  As he led a peripatetic lifestyle and worked in France, Antwerp and the Dutch Republic his stylistic qualities are difficult to pin down.Work
Abraham de Vries is mainly known for his portraits even though he reportedly also created some landscapes.  An example of his landscapes is an early Mountainous landscape with a wooden bridge (1613, Prentenkabinet, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam), a drawing which was probably created during a stay in Lyon in France.
His early works are reminiscent of the works of contemporary artists in Amsterdam and The Hague such as Thomas de Keyser and Jan van Ravesteyn.  In his 1621 Self portrait, the artist depicted himself as learned painter.  In the late 1620s to the 1630s there was clearly a Flemish influence recognizable in his portraits as is seen in the Portrait of Simon de Vos of 1634 (Maagdenhuismuseum, Antwerp).  This portrait of the Antwerp painter Simon de Vos shows a dynamism akin to that visible in the portraits of van Dyck. A similar Flemish feistiness can be seen in his Portrait of a man holding a ring of 1629 (Musée du Petit Palais, Avignon).  The textured description of skin and soft handling of hair from the mid 1630s onwards show the influence of Antwerp portrait painters of that period.  The combination in his portraits of Dutch and Flemish characteristics is not unlike what is apparent in the work of artists working in The Hague such as Adriaen Hanneman.
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