Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn
Bust of an Old Man with a Fur Cap and Flowing Beard, nearly Full Face
Description
A fine lifetime impression of this very rare, lightly etched subject, delicate wiping marks and inky plate edges. The foul-biting in the bottom right corner still visible. With shading of the robe down to the lower edge. Thread margins. Following 1630, Rembrandt executed a series of red chalk drawings portraying distinguished elderly men, rendered with remarkable psychological depth. Several of these studies were later reinterpreted in painted compositions, particularly in biblical scenes or in depictions of meditating figures. This group of drawings is closely associated with a number of etchings by Rembrandt, known as tronies — a term used in the Dutch seventeenth century to denote a character study or expressive face. Tronies typically depict heads or bust-length figures, often adorned in exotic or historical costume, and place emphasis on the rendering of facial expression and character rather than individual identity. While they may be based on live models or incorporate the physiognomy of known sitters, tronies were not conceived as portraits in the conventional sense. They were neither commissioned nor intended to commemorate specific individuals, but rather created for the open art market, where they were sold without identifying the subject. Rembrandt’s tronies, both in print and in paint, were widely admired in his time and became some of the most frequently reproduced and imitated works of his oeuvre. Verso paper slightly thinned out along the left edge, otherwise in good condition. Very rare!