Beggar in a High Cap, Standing and Leaning on a Stick

Description

Rembrandt’s Beggar in a High Cap stands in a long coat, a stick at the right supporting the solitary figure within a spare setting. Dense hatching around the lower body gives the person a firmer weight against the lightly marked ground. Rembrandt concentrates the encounter on the standing figure, allowing costume, posture and supporting object to establish a particular presence without a crowd around him.

The etching dates from around 1629. A high cap and supporting stick give the standing figure a clear identity through costume and posture, while the modest scale keeps the encounter close. Rembrandt makes an unnamed beggar the subject of sustained observation, allowing bodily presence to carry the image without converting the person into an elaborate anecdote or a distant part of a larger crowd.

Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Rembrandt collection.