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Man in a Turban

1632
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 616
Compared with Rembrandt’s formal portraits of the same year, this picture is remarkable for its brilliant brushwork and dramatic illumination. He probably painted this work shortly after he moved from his native Leiden to Amsterdam, and intended it to appeal to the city’s sophisticated collectors. Pictures of imaginary Persian or Ottoman princes were popular at the time, in part because of new trade contacts between the Dutch Republic and the Middle East, which brought international visitors to Amsterdam. However, the model for Rembrandt’s painting may well have been a Dutchman who appears in other paintings by Rembrandt and by artists in his circle.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Man in a Turban
  • Artist: Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) (Dutch, Leiden 1606–1669 Amsterdam)
  • Date: 1632
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 60 1/16 × 48 15/16 in. (152.6 × 124.3 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Bequest of William K. Vanderbilt, 1920
  • Object Number: 20.155.2
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

Audio

Cover Image for 5038. Man in Oriental Costume ("The Noble Slav")

5038. Man in Oriental Costume ("The Noble Slav")

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Abraham Casting out Hagar and Ishmael, Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) Dutch, Etching with touches of drypoint
Abraham Casting out Hagar and Ishmael
Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)
1637
St. Jerome Reading, Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) Dutch, Etching
St. Jerome Reading
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Return of the Prodigal Son, Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) Dutch, Etching, pen and ink
Return of the Prodigal Son
Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)
1620–69
St. Jerome in Prayer, Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) Dutch, Etching
St. Jerome in Prayer
Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)
1635
Portrait of Lieven Willemsz van Coppenol, Writing Master (the larger plate), Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) Dutch, Etching and drypoint; fourth state
Portrait of Lieven Willemsz van Coppenol, Writing Master (the larger plate)
Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)
1658

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