According to accounts, the man in the painting is Jan Pietersz van der Lee (c. 1545-1613), an important resident of Oudewater, who behaved heroically when Spanish enemy troops attacked his town. He is also said to have killed a soldier looting the area. Weenix made the painting years after Van der Lees’ death. The red cloak was old-fashioned by then. The painter probably had costume items to hand, to lend a historical touch to his work.