Old Man Shading His Eyes with His Hand

Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn created this Old Man Shading His Eyes with His Hand around 1639 as an etching and drypoint. The print depicts an elderly man raising his hand to shield his eyes, possibly against a bright light source. Rembrandt's lines capture every fold of the man's garments and the weathered textures of his face with characteristic precision.

The work belongs to a series of character studies, or "tronies," that Rembrandt produced throughout his career. These figures often wear berets, cloaks with decorative clasps, or Polish fur caps called kutchmas. They weren't portraits of specific individuals but rather explorations of expression, costume, and light. The dramatic interplay of shadows across the figure shows Rembrandt's mastery of the Baroque etching technique.

Multiple impressions of this print exist in museum collections worldwide. The Art Institute of Chicago holds one version, while others can be found at the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Rijksmuseum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The etching measures approximately 5 7/16 x 4 1/2 inches, a modest size typical of Rembrandt's portrait studies.