ベレー帽をかぶった髭の男

Around 1630 in the Dutch town of Leiden, two young painters were working so closely that people still confuse their pictures: Jan Lievens and Rembrandt, both in their early twenties, sharing models and very likely a studio. This is one of Lievens' tronies, a head study of an anonymous old man rather than a commissioned portrait, the beret hinting at a scholar or an artist. Look into the grey and white of the beard and you can see where Lievens dragged the sharp end of his brush through the wet paint, scratching lines that reveal a rust-orange layer underneath. He and Rembrandt would soon part, Rembrandt for Amsterdam and lasting fame, Lievens for years working abroad. This panel came to Washington as a gift in 2010.