Rembrandt van Rijn

The Laughing Man

Rembrandt van Rijn
The Laughing Man

c. 1629-1630 On view in Room 9

Eyes shining and eyebrows raised, a man is baring his crooked teeth in a hearty laugh. This is not a portrait, but a character study or ‘tronie’ of a laughing man. Rembrandt painted it while he was living in Leiden and still had a very smooth style. So it is remarkable that he painted this head with incredibly loose brushstrokes – the style for which he later became famous. In some places, Rembrandt scratched in the wet paint to reveal the base – a copper plate covered in gold leaf.

Technical details

Rembrandt van Rijn
The Laughing Man

c. 1629-1630 On view in Room 9

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Details

General information
Artist Rembrandt van Rijn (Leiden 1606 - 1669 Amsterdam)
Title The Laughing Man
Dated c. 1629-1630
Object name painting
Inventory number 598
On view in Room 9
Material and technical details
Technique oil
Material copper
Dimensions 15.3 x 12.2 cm

Provenance

Sale Cornelia Steyn-Schellinger et al., The Hague, 7-8 October 1783 (Lugt 3615), no. 72 (2.16 guilders); Gerard Munnicks van Cleeff, Utrecht, before 1860; his heirs, Amsterdam, 1860-1864; his sale, Paris, 4-5 April 1864 (Lugt 27807), no. 79 (2000 francs); Charles de Boissière sale, Paris, 19 February 1883 (Lugt 42648), no. 40 (370 francs); F. Kleinberger Gallery, Paris, 1893-1894 (to Hofstede de Groot for 1750 francs); Cornelis Hofstede de Groot, The Hague, 1894-1895 (sold to the Mauritshuis in for 890 guilders); purchased, 1895