Portrait of a white-haired man
1667
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
108.9 × 92.7 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1951
Gallery location
17th Century & Flemish Paintings Gallery
Level 2, NGV International
About this work
Portraits of individuals and groups represent almost two-thirds of Rembrandt’s oeuvre. This painting is an outstanding example of the artist’s late style and is the second-last portrait he made, only two years before his death. Although advanced in age, Rembrandt here is still experimenting with technique and form. The sitter’s right hand is cropped, symbolic of a life beyond the picture frame, and his pose is dynamic. Rembrandt has also used the sharp end of his brush to gouge the paint in the sitter’s hair, which adds to the lively appearance of this yet to be identified subject.
Artwork Details
Inscription
inscribed in brown paint u.c.: Rembrandt f. / 1667
Accession Number
2372-4
Department
International Painting
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited
Subjects (general)
Human Figures Portraits
Subjects (specific)
beards black (colour) brown (colour) grey (colour) half figures human hair men (male humans) tassel
Frame
Reproduction, 1997, based on a Dutch frame from 1665
Frame
Three frames have been used for Rembrandt Portrait of a white haired man, 1667.
The painting was acquired in 1951 with a nineteenth century gilded, empire style frame (identified in storage in the 1990s). (above right)
In 1954, then Director, Daryl Lindsay had a frame made in London by Frederick Pollak, using a form that made reference to Dutch frames. (above left)
With new reference material, a re-framing of Portrait of a white haired man was proposed in 1996 and the frame ordered in 1997.
The frame was made in London.
The prototype for this frame is from 1665, two years earlier than the painting.
Frame Details
Framemaker
Reproduction - commissioned by the NGV
Date
1997
Materials
Ebonised fruit wood.