The Flemish painter Antoon Van Dyck established himself as a great portrait painter in Europe and lived for many years in Genoa. Originally, this canvas depicted the young Ansaldo Pallavicino next to his father Agostino, but in the 18th century the canvas was cut into two parts. It is not known whether this occurred due to a hereditary division, motivated by the economic value of the work, or as a result of damage suffered by the painting. Of course, this canvas is the only surviving fragment of a once larger work.