Attributed to Rembrandt van Rijn
Dutch, 1606–1669
Man Reading
c. 1648
For centuries, this painting was thought to portray an individual, but recent research suggests it may be a tronie—a type of image in which seventeenth-century Dutch artists explored facial expressions and costumes. The richly textured surface and the contrast of warm light and soft shadows are typical of paintings by Rembrandt and his students, who learned the master’s techniques by copying his work. For a time, the work was considered a product of the artist’s followers, but has recently been attributed to Rembrandt himself.
Medium | oil on canvas |
Dimensions | 29 3/16 x 22 1/8 in. (74.1 x 56.2 cm) Frame: 38 7/8 x 32 1/4 x 3 9/16 in. (98.7 x 81.9 x 9 cm) |
Object Number | 1955.841 |
Acquisition | Acquired by Sterling and Francine Clark before 1955 |
Status | On View |
Image Caption
Attributed to Rembrandt van Rijn, Man Reading, c. 1648, oil on canvas. Clark Art Institute, 1955.841
Select Bibliography
Foucart, Jacques. Les peintures de Rembrandt au Louvre. Paris: Éditions de la Réunion de musées nationaux, 1982.
Bolten, J., and H. Bolten-Rempt. Rembrandt. Milano: Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, 1976.
Hamann, Richard. Rembrandt. Berlin: Safari-Verlag, 1969. Bredius, Abraham. Rembrandt: The Complete Edition of the Paintings. 3rd Edition. Revised by H. Gerson. London: Phaidon Press, 1969.Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Paintings on Exhibition, July 1968. Williamstown: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1968.
Van Regteren Altena, J.Q. "Neues über Jan Vermeijen." Oud-Holland LXXXII, no. 1/2 (1967): 68–71. Kurt Bauch.. Rembrandt Gemalde.. Berlin: W. De Gruyter.. 1966 [c. 1965]..Gilbert, Creighton. “The Classics.” Arts Magazine (Feb. 1961).
"Clark Dsiplays Four Rembrandts in New Exhibit." The Williamstown News, June 16 1960. Martin, W. De Hollandische Schilderkunst in de zeventiende eeuw: Rembrandt en zijn tijd onze 17e eeuwsche schilderkunst in harem bloeitijd en nabbloei, Vol. 2. Amsterdam: J.M. Meulenhoff and Uitgever, 1936. Goldscheider, Ludwig. Fünfhundert Selbstporträts von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart. Vienna: Phaidon-Verlag, 1936. Fraenger, Hillhelm. Die Radierungen des Hercules Seghers. Erlenbach-Zuerich: E. Rentsch, 1922. Martin, Wilhelm. Alt-hollandische Bilder. Bibliothek für Kunst- und Antiquitätensammler, Bd. 13. Berlin: R. C. Schmidt, 1921. Hofstede de Groot, Cornelis. A Catalogue Raisonné of the works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century, based on the work of John Smith. Catalogue raisonné. 8 vols. London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd, 1907–27.