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Old Man with a Gold Chain

Portrait of man wearing voluminous black cloak, feathered hat, and gold medallion.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • Portrait of man wearing voluminous black cloak, feathered hat, and gold medallion.

Date:

1631

Artist:

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn
Dutch, 1606–1669

About this artwork

This evocative character study is an early example of a type of subject that preoccupied the great Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn throughout his long career. Although his large output included landscapes, genre paintings, and the occasional still life, he focused on biblical and historical paintings and on portraits. As an extension of these interests, the artist studied the effect of a single figure, made dramatic through the use of costume and rich, subtle lighting. Rembrandt collected costumes to transform his models into characters. Here, the gold chain and steel gorget suggest an honored military career, while the plumed beret evokes an earlier time. The broad black mass of the old man’s torso against a neutral background is a powerful foil for these trappings. The face is that of a real person, weathered and watchful, glowing with pride and humanity. The unidentified sitter, once thought to be the artist’s father, was a favorite model, appearing in many of the artist’s early works. The confident execution suggests that the young Rembrandt completed this picture about 1631, when he had left his native Leiden to pursue a career in the metropolis of Amsterdam; perhaps he wished to use this work to demonstrate his skill in a genre that combined history painting and portraiture.

Status

On View, Gallery 213

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

Rembrandt van Rijn

Title

Old Man with a Gold Chain

Place

Holland (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1626–1636

Medium

Oil on panel

Inscriptions

Monogram RHL at lower left

Dimensions

83.1 × 75.7 cm (32 3/4 × 29 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Kimball Collection

Reference Number

1922.4467

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/95998/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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