Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn
Four Studies of Male Heads, c. 1636
Brown ink and brown wash on cream antique laid paper
The Maida and George Abrams Collection, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Gift of George Abrams in memory of Maida Abrams
“Portrait of an Old Man” by the Dutch master Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijnis a master class unto itself. The oil painting, which graces the walls of the Harvard Art Museums, reveals much about both technique and emotion. Curators say the piece, completed in 1632, showcases “the dramatic lighting and painstaking description and level of detail and texture that inform his early work.” This summer the evocative portrait will hang alongside one of Harvard’s newest Rembrandt holdings, “Four Studies of Male Heads,” an early drawing in brown ink that connects visitors even more closely with Rembrandt’s hand — a hand that inspired countless others.