A man with thick, tousled gray hair and a long beard squared off at the bottom bows his head toward us in this vertical painting. His head and chest nearly fill the canvas against a background that lightens from black in the upper left corner to muted, amber brown in the upper right. Against the surrounding darkness, light falls across the peach-colored flesh of his forehead, right cheek, and nose. His heavy gray brows are drawn together, and they cast shadows over his deep-set eyes. The dark irises moving to our right are just visible. Loose brushstrokes sketch short, gray curls, a few of…
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Study of an Old Man

painter Anonymous Artist

Follower of related artist Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606 - 1669)

probably late 17th century

Medium
oil on panel
Classification
Painting
Dimensions
overall: 28 x 21.5 cm (11 x 8 7/16 in.)
Culture
Dutch
Museum
National Gallery of Art, CNE-B
Credit line
Widener Collection
Rights
Public domain (NGA Open Access, CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed

View at the National Gallery of Art