Born around 1466-1470, Antoine de Ville was an esquire of duke René II before becoming a close associate of duke Antoine, who made him successively captain of Neufchâteau in 1509 and Épinal in 1510. He took part in Louis XII's wars in Italy and in the War of the Rustauds. During the border disputes between the duchies of Lorraine and Burgundy in 1523 and 1527, he was appointed three times by the duke to act as mediator. A man of great piety, he travelled to Santiago de Compostela and made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem twice, as the inscription on the reverse of the panel indicates: "ICY est pourtraict au vif / Messire Anthoine de Ville ainsy / qu'il estoit quand il retourna de / Sainct voiage de Jerusalem que / fut le huictienne jour de décembre / Lan de nostre Seigneur 1507. Pries / Dieu pour luy".

This portrait is the oldest surviving easel painting from Lorraine. Antoine de Ville is depicted in three-quarter view against a plain background, in a style developed by the Flemish Primitives in the 15th century. He is wearing a hat with a medal attached and is holding the pommel of his sword in his right hand. The painting is based on a tricolour scheme of red, gold and black, which gives it a very fine balance. The highly realistic face, sculpted by the light, also shows the influence of Flemish painting. The model's very clear gaze into the distance conveys the firm, determined expression of one of the eminent figures of the Lorraine court.

 Restored in 2000