Portrait of an African Man (Christophle le More?)
Jan Jansz Mostaert
c. 1525 - c. 1530
This is the only known portrait of a black man in early European painting. He may have served at the Brussels court of Emperor Charles V, who had a black archer called Christophle le More among his bodyguards. The badge of the Virgin on his cap is a souvenir of a pilgrimage to Halle (Brabant), a favourite destination of pilgrims from the Brussels court.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam · Image: Rijksmuseum, Public domain · Text: Rijksmuseum, CC0