Where Is Bust of an Old Man with a Large Beard?

Q: Who is the man in this painting?

The subject is unknown. Rembrandt often painted anonymous models to study character and expression You can see it at State Hermitage Museum.

Q: Where is this painting?

You can see it at State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Rembrandt van Rijn created it. Light catches the weathered face while the rest fades into shadow.

Q: Why did Rembrandt paint so many old men?

Rembrandt was drawn to aged faces with character. Old men with beards served as studies of expression and light, and many were used as models for biblical patriarchs and philosophers.

Rembrandt van Rijn executed this study of an elderly man with a full beard. Light catches the weathered face while the rest fades into shadow. The artist returned often to such character studies throughout his career.

These portraits of anonymous sitters helped Rembrandt explore age, wisdom, and mortality. The work is held at the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.

The subject is unknown. Rembrandt often painted anonymous models to study character and expression You can see it at State Hermitage Museum.

You can see it at State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Rembrandt van Rijn created it. Light catches the weathered face while the rest fades into shadow.

Rembrandt was drawn to aged faces with character. Old men with beards served as studies of expression and light, and many were used as models for biblical patriarchs and philosophers.

Bust of an Old Man with a Large Beard

Where to See It

The Artist

More by Rembrandt van Rijn

The Apostle Paul

A Beggar Warming his Hands over a Chafing Dish

Jesus Disputing with the Doctors

An Old Man with a Large Beard

Also at State Hermitage Museum

Waterloo Bridge

Madonna with a Flower (Madonna Benois)

An Old Man with a Large Beard

St George

Related Baroque Works

The Laughing Cavalier

Girl with the Red Hat

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Laocoön

The Lacemaker

Woman Holding a Balance

Woman Reading a Letter

The Rokeby Venus

About Bust of an Old Man with a Large Beard

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