9 x 12"
oil on panel
sold
sold
A Rembrandt painting is always recognizable. Often a portrait, often dark, warm tones and dramatic light cast on the face - and in the case of his 1631 portrait Old Man with a Gold Chain, a repeated, favorite sitter. The unidentified man, often mistaken for Rembrandt's father, is ennobled in an outfit of all the trappings of the wealthy - a steel gorget around his neck, a dark-purple robe, a plumed hat with peacock feathers and a gold chain and medallion over his cloak. This is what he did. He simply wanted to portray a straggly, old man appearing more interesting and colorful.
Old Man with a Gold Chain hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago.
Please click here for a larger view.