'Tronie' of an Old Man

This is a tronie, a study of an old man's face, full of character. The painting was purchased at the end of the nineteenth century as a portrait of Rembrandt's father, Harmen Gerritsz van Rijn. Nowadays, there is doubt whether this really is Rembrandt's father, and the attribution to Rembrandt is also uncertain. It is possible that future research will reveal more about this. That is why, for the time being, there is a question mark behind Rembrandt's name.