GONZALEZ, a painter of portraits and conversations, was born at Antwerp in 1618, and was a disciple of David Ryckaert the elder, under whose direction he applied himself diligently to cultivate the promising talents which he possessed; not only by practising the best rules administered to him by his instructor, but also by studying nature with singular attention. He was a great admirer of Vandyck; and, fixing on the manner of that great artist as his model, he had the happiness of so far succeeding, that, after him, he was esteemed equal to any other painter of his time. In the school of Ryckaert he had been accustomed to paint conversations, and he frequently composed subjects of fancy, like Teniers, Ostade, and his master; a habit by which he introduced a very agreeable style of portrait painting. In this way he composed several fine pictures for King Charles I., the Archduke Leopold, and the Prince of Orange; and the latter, as a mark of respect, presented Coques with a rich gold chain, and a gold medal, on which his bust was impressed. Coques died in 1684. He had an excellent pencil; his portraits were well designed, with easy, natural attitudes; he disposed the figures in his composition so as to avoid confusion or embarrassment; he gave an extraordinary clearness of colour to his heads and hands; and his touch was free, firm, and broad, a circumstance very uncommon in works of a small size.