The inscription in the top left hand corner AETATIS LX / ANNO CHRISTI SALVATORIS MDIX ('Aged 55, in the Year of our Lord 1509'), is followed by the small snake motif used by Lucas Cranach as a signature. On the right hand side is a large shield of armorial bearings, including a coat of arms, and the inscription NOB : D NICOLAVS DE BACKER / DNS DE WATEREPPE I: CAR / V A CONCILIIS NAT: EQVES 'Nicholas de Backer, Lord of Watereppe, of the council of Charles V, Knight'. This tells us that the portrait was painted by Lucas Cranach the elder in 1509 and depicts Nicholas de Backer. However the reference to Charles V (1500-1558) is troubling as he only acquired this title in 1519. It is possible that Backer advised Charles when, as a boy in 1506, he inherited the Netherlands (Backer's homeland); in which case the inscription is added later. It is possible that ‘MDIX’ was not the original date; the painting is badly damaged and extensively restored. It is common for restored inscriptions to mis-represent the original wording. 

Backer appears in half-length format, wearing a dark brown, fur-lined robe over a long sleeved black jacket and has a black cap with ear pieces. In each hand he holds a string of large beads (presumably those of a rosary) and uses his right index finger to point to a bead in his left hand.

Prince Albert (1819-1861) had a great appreciation of early German art, and was significantly interested in acquiring these works for the Royal Collection. He had a special admiration for Cranach as court painter to his ancestors, the Electors of Saxony.