Terms and conditions of use
Two old men disputing
(1628)
Medium
oil on wood panel
Measurements
72.4 × 59.7 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1936
Gallery location
17th Century & Flemish Paintings Gallery
Level 2, NGV International
About this work
Two old men disputing reveals the individuality and brilliance that distinguished the young Rembrandt as Leiden’s finest artist. There has been much speculation regarding the subject of this painting. It has been suggested that the two men are philosophers, possibly Hippocrates and Democritus, or the apostles Peter and Paul. However, in 1641, the painting was referred to in the will of Jacques de Gheyn III, a friend of Rembrandt, simply as ‘two little old men [who] are seated and disputing’. Rembrandt has included objects associated with learning – books, quills and a globe – thereby creating an emblematic essay on the wisdom of age.
Artwork Details
Inscription
inscribed in grey paint l.l.: RE (...illeg.)
Accession Number
349-4
Department
International Painting
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Dame Carol Colburn-Grigor CBE through Metal Manufactures Limited
Subjects (general)
Human Figures Philosophy, Scholarship, Learning and Teaching
Subjects (specific)
chiaroscuro discussions (events) elderly men (male humans) old age scholars sunlight wisdom
Frame
Reproduction, 2003, based on a Dutch frame from 1627
Frame
The frame on Two old men disputing, 1628, when acquired in 1934, was described by the dealer D.A. Hoogendijk as “the antique 17th century frame I found in Paris”. The frame is in the manner of seventeenth century French frames but has been cut down from a larger format creating an imbalance between the ornamented corners and the less decorative cushion panels.
The reframing of the Rembrandt panel was proposed in preparation for an exhibition in 2005.
The frame selected was a box frame dating from 1618. Box frames were a common form of Dutch frame up to around 1630.
The frame is a decade before the date of the panel and a reproduction of the same frame had been used previously to frame Cornelius Saftleven ‘Interior with soldiers’ (4563-3) .
It was chosen to relate to the construction of the picture, the room, with the box-like form drawing the eye of the viewer into the space.
The frame is constructed from European oak and finished with black paint, distressed.
The frame was made and fitted to the painting in 2005.
The painting was cleaned and restored in 2017.
Frame Details
Framemaker
Reproduction - commissioned by the NGV
Date
2005
Materials
European oak and paint.