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Head of an Old Man
(Baroque Europe )
This broadly brushed study was made in Rembrandt's workshop in the late 1630s by a student. There are other studies of this man's head from different directions. Rembrandt operated a school within his workshop, and many young men studied with him to learn his expressive style. They set up their easels in a circle around the model-perhaps a poor man from the neighborhood who had an interesting face.
Rembrandt was one of the first to see the faces of the elderly, reflecting a lifetime of experience, as wonderful subjects. With loose brush strokes and selective highlighting, the painter explores the sitter's lined, weathered face.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Arnold Seligmann, Rey and Co., New York; Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 12/2/1975 | Examination | other |
| 12/3/1975 | Examination | examined for condition |
Geographies
Netherlands, Amsterdam (Place of Origin)
Measurements
8 1/8 x 6 15/16 in. (20.6 x 17.7 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Charles Street: Second Floor: 17th-Century Dutch Cabinet Rooms
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.298