Sheet of Studies including Head of the Artist, a Beggar Couple, Heads of an Old Man and Old Woman
c. 1632
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 9.9 x 10.5 cm (3 7/8 x 4 1/8 in.) sheet: 10.3 x 10.7 cm (4 1/16 x 4 3/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.7081
Art Historical Context
In this intimate sheet of studies from around 1632, Rembrandt van Rijn captures a remarkable range of human expression on a tiny scale. The etching features the artist's own penetrating self-portrait, a ragged beggar couple huddled together, and the weathered heads of an old man and woman. Created during Rembrandt's early years in Amsterdam, amid the Dutch Golden Age, it showcases his fascination with the faces of everyday people—from the prosperous artist to society's marginalized—highlighting themes of empathy and individuality that defined his Baroque style. Etched on laid paper, this prin...
About the Artist
Rembrandt van Rijn · 1606–1669
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606–1669) stands as one of the greatest visual artists in the history of Western art and the most important Dutch painter of the 17th century. Born in Leiden to a prosperous miller's family, Rembrandt transformed painting through his revolutionary use of light and shadow, his psychological depth in portraiture, and his elevation of etching to a fine art. His approx...