Man in Oriental Dress

Heads like this were in demand in the 17th century, and they were not meant as portraits of anyone. The Dutch called them tronies, studies of a face in costume or a strong expression, and ones wearing a turban were known as Turkish tronies. They were copied and imitated almost at once. Rembrandt lets the light fall hard on the white turban, with its gold chain and a large hanging pearl, and on one side of the face, leaving the other in shadow. He signed and dated the panel 1635. By 1857 it was at Raby Castle in the north of England, and in 1922 it was sold in London for the collectors Dominicus Kessler and his wife. In 1940 Mrs Kessler-Hülsmann gave it to the Rijksmuseum, together with 83 other objects.