1633, Rembrandt van Rijn, Portrait of a Bearded Man in a Wide-Brimmed Hat -- Norton Simon Museum (Pasadena)
From the museum label: To his left, an inscription states that the sitter, possibly Pieter Sijen, a merchant and member of the Mennonite congregation in Amsterdam, is 41 years old. Dressed in sober black attire and presented close-up, the sitter embodies the ideals of sobriety and modesty valued by the Dutch middle class. However, Rembrandt transcended the customary limitations of the genre to compose an engaging portrait in which the vivid description of facial features, warm diagonal light and tangible brushwork impart a sense of the sitter's spirit. Sijen's pose, with his head gently turned toward us, suggests movement and alertness. The sense of animation continues in the undulating folds of his beautifully rendered ruff and the lively contours of his wide-brimmed hat. The lifelike description, and psychological depth, that Rembrandt brought to bear in likenesses such as this earned him a position as one of the most sought-after portraitists in Holland during the 1630s.
1633, Rembrandt van Rijn, Portrait of a Bearded Man in a Wide-Brimmed Hat -- Norton Simon Museum (Pasadena)
From the museum label: To his left, an inscription states that the sitter, possibly Pieter Sijen, a merchant and member of the Mennonite congregation in Amsterdam, is 41 years old. Dressed in sober black attire and presented close-up, the sitter embodies the ideals of sobriety and modesty valued by the Dutch middle class. However, Rembrandt transcended the customary limitations of the genre to compose an engaging portrait in which the vivid description of facial features, warm diagonal light and tangible brushwork impart a sense of the sitter's spirit. Sijen's pose, with his head gently turned toward us, suggests movement and alertness. The sense of animation continues in the undulating folds of his beautifully rendered ruff and the lively contours of his wide-brimmed hat. The lifelike description, and psychological depth, that Rembrandt brought to bear in likenesses such as this earned him a position as one of the most sought-after portraitists in Holland during the 1630s.