Bust of an Old Man Wearing a Fur Cap

Jan Lievens

ca. 1631 · Etching, second state of four · Drawings and Prints

This introspective portrait of an old man in exotic costume is an early work by Lievens from a series of lightly etched imaginary heads of about 1630-32. The print was made at a time when Lievens worked in close collaboration with Rembrandt in Leiden and when the two young artists mutually influenced each other's work. Lievens was inspired by Rembrandt's contemporary etched portraits of men in oriental dress when he created this bust of an aged man wearing an unusual fur cap bound by a strip of cloth. Rembrandt in turn etched copies of this print and two others from the series in 1635.

Artist

Jan Lievens

Date

ca. 1631

Medium

Etching, second state of four

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1993