Imitator of Rembrandt, 'A Study of an Elderly Man in a Cap', 17th century
About the work
Overview
This painting of a grey-haired man apparently lost in thought is not intended to be a portrait of a real person, but is an example of a tronie. This genre, popular at the time, depicted personality types.
It is signed Rembrandt halfway up on the right-hand side; scientific analysis suggests that it almost certainly dates from the seventeenth century and confirms that the signature is integral to the painting, not faked later. Indeed, it’s made with the same paint mixture used to render the dark tones in the man’s cloak, so there’s a high probability that both cloak and signature were made by the same hand.
But based on judgments of style and painting technique all Rembrandt experts agree that the work is not by the artist himself – so the signature must be a forgery. It must, however, have been made by someone, perhaps from his workshop, who was familiar with Rembrandt’s working practices.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- A Study of an Elderly Man in a Cap
- Artist
- Imitator of Rembrandt
- Artist dates
- 1606 - 1669
- Date made
- 17th century
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 67 × 53 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Salting Bequest, 1910
- Inventory number
- NG2539
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Previous owners
Provenance
According to HdG it was in the collection of the Duke of Sutherland but it cannot be traced in any of the Stafford House catalogues or in any Sutherland sale. However, in a copy of Smith’s Catalogue Raisonné thought to have been annotated by the author it is noted that the painting was ‘Sold by Duchess [of Sutherland] with other pictures to Mʳ Morant in 1846 who parted with them to Mr Emery, Rutley and Co. .’. It was at one time in the possession of Sulley & Co., London, and was bought by George Salting, London, by 1906. Salting Bequest, 1910.
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Neil MacLaren, revised and expanded by Christopher Brown, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School: 1600–1900’, London 1991; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1906W. Bode, 'Neuendeckte Rembrandtbilder', Zeitschrift für bildende Kunst, 1906
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1907C. Hofstede de Groot, Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century, 10 vols, London 1907
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1921W.R. Valentiner, Rembrandt: Wiedergefunden Gemälde, Stuttgart 1921
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1960Maclaren, Neil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 2 vols, London 1960
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1990M. Jones, P. Craddock and N. Barker, Fake?: The Art of Deception (exh. cat. British Museum, 2 September 1990), London 1990
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1991Maclaren, Neil, revised by Christopher Brown, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 1600-1900, 2nd edn (revised and expanded), 2 vols, London 1991
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
Images
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