Artwork
Portrait of a Seated Old Man Wearing a Red Hat
Portrait of a Seated Old Man Wearing a Red Hat is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Rembrandt van Rijn. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin. Created circa 1650, this oil painting portrays an elderly gentleman seated against a dark backdrop.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Together, the red hat, fur-edged cap, and staff construct a visual vocabulary of venerable manhood rooted in both portrait tradition and symbolic meaning.
The painting portrays a seated elderly man wearing a red hat, a subject Rembrandt frequently explored in his later career through studies of aged faces and textured garments. The depicted figure is identified in the work's cataloguing as an "Old Man with a Tall, Fur-edged Cap," suggesting the red headgear carries the weight of traditional iconography associated with wisdom, experience, and venerable age in seventeenth-century Dutch portraiture. A walking stick appears among the depicted elements, reinforcing the impression of an aged sitter and serving as a conventional attribute of seniority and contemplative life.
The work is classified as religious art, indicating that the seemingly everyday portrayal of an old man may carry devotional or allegorical resonance, presenting the sitter as a figure embodying piety, reflection, or moral gravitas rather than merely a likeness. Together, the red hat, fur-edged cap, and staff construct a visual vocabulary of venerable manhood rooted in both portrait tradition and symbolic meaning.
Technique & Style
The Portrait of a Seated Old Man Wearing a Red Hat is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. Created by Rembrandt, the work measures 51 cm in height and 37 cm in width. As a portrait, it depicts an elderly man wearing a distinctive red hat and holding a walking stick. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.
History & Provenance
Created by Rembrandt, this oil painting on canvas depicts a seated elderly man wearing a red hat. While one record suggests the work originated in 1650, other data indicates an inception date of 1652. The painting measures 51 cm in height and 37 cm in width.
Regarding its ownership history, the work was at one point possessed by Humphry Ward. It is currently held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.
The painting is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin, where it is located. Historical records indicate that the work was previously owned by Humphry Ward. Specific inventory or accession numbers for the Berlin collection are not provided in the available sources.
Context
Portrait of a Seated Old Man Wearing a Red Hat (1650) by Rembrandt is housed in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin and was documented in the collection of Humphry Ward. The work has been discussed in scholarship as part of Rembrandt's late portraiture, reflecting his exploration of psychological depth in elderly subjects. Its genre is recorded as religious art within the Gemäldegalerie Berlin's cataloging, though it depicts a secular portrait.
The painting's technical execution in oil on canvas (51 cm x 37 cm) aligns with Rembrandt's mature style, characterized by chiaroscuro and textured brushwork. It is connected to his broader oeuvre through recurring motifs such as the fur-edged cap and walking stick, linking it to other portraits from the 1650s.
Overview
Created circa 1650, this oil painting portrays an elderly gentleman seated against a dark backdrop. The work belongs to the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin and exemplifies the mature period of a Dutch artist renowned for his portraiture.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, known mononymously as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and draughtsman.
