Confusion regarding the identity of the subject has arisen from the label which refers to him as Johannis Provoost. It was reportedly applied in 1762 when the portraits of the subject and his wife were reframed; the date of 1685 was added at a still later time. The style of dress, however, seems later. Identification of the subject as David Provoost is based on a geneaological study of the family made by the donor, five-times great-grandson of the subject.