Frans Pourbus the Elder[1][2] (Bruges, 1545 – Antwerp, 19 September 1581) was a Flemish Renaissance painter who is known primarily for his portraits and religious compositions, as well as a few genre scenes.

Floris played an important role in the movement in Northern Renaissance painting referred to as Romanism.

The Romanists had typically travelled to Italy to study the works of leading Italian High Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo, Raphael and their followers.

[9] According to the contemporary Flemish biographer Karel van Mander Pourbus intended to travel to Italy in 1566, a trip taken by many of his fellow artists at the time, but abandoned his plans after traveling from Antwerp to Ghent to visit the painter-poet Lucas de Heere.

[10] Van Mander recounts that Pourbus clearly did not have his heart in his trip to Italy as he had lost it to the niece of his master.

In 1572 Pourbus was contacted by the prominent portrait painter Anthonis Mor for assistance in finding apprentices in Antwerp.

This may have resulted in closer contacts between the artists and an opportunity for Pourbus to become familiar with the work of Mor, then the leading portrait painter in the Low Countries.

[3] Karel van Mander wrote that Pourbus was also particularly skilled in painting animals and trees after nature.

[13] He painted 14 panels representing the History of Saint Andrew (1572) and a Triptych of Viglius Aytta (1571) for the St Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent.

The reverse sides of the panels depicting stories from the Life of Saint Martin were visible along the choir aisle.

The features of the man in this portrait are highly individualized through the subtle modelling of the face, flesh, cheekbones, nose and eyes.

His neatly trimmed beard is rendered with remarkable precision and is set off by his closely concertinaed ruff.

The sitter engages the viewer directly with his gaze and his slightly frowned brow gives him a contemplative aspect.

It is plausible that the family portrait is related to a marriage of Balthasar and Anna van Lieffelt, who can be recognized on the left of the panel as the bride and groom.

As far as the family composition can be determined at the time the painting was made, it can be deduced that Balthasar had three brothers: Joris, Melchior and Daniël and four sisters: Elizabeth, Margareta, Suzanna and Catharina.

The key work is the Prodigal son among courtesans (Museum Mayer van den Bergh).

The male and female participants in this composition are wearing clothes in the latest fashion such as high hats, puffed pants and ruff collars.

One of the origins of the type of the "buitenpartij" is the pictorial tradition of religious representations of a Biblical subject such as "The Prodigal Son", in which a moral story is told through depictions of drunken feasts with erotic overtones.