Man in a Close Cap

The old man in these four little etchings has traditionally been identified as Rembrandt’s father, Harmen Gerritsz van Rijn. Whether this is actually the case remains uncertain, but it is striking that Rembrandt made them all in 1630, the year of his father’s death. He depicts the wrinkled skin so precisely that it is possible that he worked directly on the etching plate while his model sat to him.