Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn

A fine lifetime impression of the second state with touches of burr on top of the hand and just to the right of the sitter's right eye. With the space beneath the hand now completely shaded. Thread margins. This striking half-length study depicts an elderly man with a full beard, draped in a heavy velvet cloak and wearing a fur cap. The composition is characterised by a finely balanced chiaroscuro that enhances the sculptural presence of the figure. In the second state of the plate, the shadow beneath the resting hand has been fully articulated, further intensifying the spatial effect. Created around 1631, this work belongs to a period in which the portrayal of aged men with expressive physiognomies was a central theme in Rembrandt’s graphic oeuvre. – Verso paper slightly thinned out on the left edge at shoulder height of the sitter, otherwise in very good condition.