Study of an Old Man

The painting is a study of the head and shoulders of an old bearded man, wearing a cap. Until the beginning of the 20th century this painting was attributed to Rembrandt. It dates from c. 1629, when both Rembrandt and Lievens, together in Leiden, painted numerous such studies of old men and women. Both Rembrandt and Lievens, and sometimes other artists in their close Leiden circle, often used the same model for different studies. Lievens made another study of the same bearded old portrayed here, seen from the same angle, but hatless, in Herzog-Anton-Ulrich-Museum, Braunschweig.