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Lot Essay
This is a characteristic example of the figure drawings which Rembrandt produced during the years he was working in Leiden in his studio at the home of his parents (1625-1631). Most of the drawings from that period show figures, either in pen and brown ink, sometimes with added wash, or in red and black chalk. As Rembrandt wanted to become a history painter he produced these drawings in preparation for paintings and etchings and sometimes as direct preparatory studies for a specific work. He not only drew biblical or mythological figures, but also figures which could serve as bystanders in such works. For that reason he produced drawings of ordinary people: men, women and couples. He was also intrigued by beggars and in this respect he was influenced by a series of prints published in 1622 by the French engraver Jacques Callot (1592-1635) under the title Les Gueux. One of these (Lieure 484; Fig. 1) shows a man with a stick warming his hands, and in character and style it shows some similarities with Rembrandt’s figure drawings. Rembrandt also started to produce etchings of similar subjects, the earliest being from around 1629, like the Beggar in a tall hat (New Hollstein, 'Rembrandt', no. 16; Fig. 2), This drawing could have served as one of the exercises in preparing these prints, even if it is not a direct preparatory drawing. A date of around 1629 would seem appropriate.
The style of the drawing shows Rembrandt’s extremely personal approach to the rendering of form and chiaroscuro. The figure has been represented with loose and broken lines, which leave black spaces and create darker accents, as seen here on the right, since the light falls from the left. Although scarcely any precise description has been produced, apart from the face, the sketchy rendering creates a convincing sense of plasticity and the form is suggested in a very personal, lively way.
We are grateful to both Peter Schatborn and Martin Royalton-Kisch for confirming the attribution on the basis of first-hand examination of the drawing.
The style of the drawing shows Rembrandt’s extremely personal approach to the rendering of form and chiaroscuro. The figure has been represented with loose and broken lines, which leave black spaces and create darker accents, as seen here on the right, since the light falls from the left. Although scarcely any precise description has been produced, apart from the face, the sketchy rendering creates a convincing sense of plasticity and the form is suggested in a very personal, lively way.
We are grateful to both Peter Schatborn and Martin Royalton-Kisch for confirming the attribution on the basis of first-hand examination of the drawing.