Artwork
Head of a Bald Old Man in Profile
Head of a Bald Old Man in Profile is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jacob Adriaensz Backer. It dates from 1635 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
About this work
Overview
Head of a Bald Old Man in Profile is an oil painting from 1635, attributed to Jacob Adriaensz Backer, a Dutch Golden Age painter. The work is a portrait of an elderly, bald man with a white beard, set against a dark background, and is part of the State Hermitage Museum's collection.
Subject & Meaning
The subject is depicted in a red-and-gold robe with intricate details, conveying a sense of dignity. The profile view and emphasis on character through facial expression align with the period's emphasis on individual likeness in portraiture.
Technique & Style
Backer employed chiaroscuro to create a three-dimensional effect, particularly evident in the shading of the face, beard, and forehead. The interplay of light and shadow highlights the texture of the beard and the luxury of the robe's gold trim.
History & Provenance
Created in 1635, the painting reflects Backer's training within Dutch artistic traditions and possible influences from contemporaries like Rubens and Wybrand de Geest. It is currently housed in the State Hermitage Museum.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Jacob Adriaensz Backer (1608 – 27 August 1651) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He produced about 140 paintings in twenty years, including portraits, religious subjects, and mythological paintings. In his style, he was…
Old Woman in an Armchair
Portrait of an Old Woman
The regents of the Nieuwe Zijds institute for the outdoor relief of the poor, Amsterdam, ca 1650
Officers and other Civic Guardsmen of the V District in Amsterdam under the command of Captain Cornelis de Graeff and Lieutenant Hendrick Lauwrensz
The Garden of Eden
The superintendents of the Collegium Medicum in Amsterdam
Portrait of a man in armor (self-portrait)
Portrait of Daniel Nellius, elder of the Remonstrant church and sampling official of Alkmaar
Study of the Head of an Old Man
Study of an Old Man in Profile
Portrait of a man, perhaps Rembrandt's father, Harmen Gerritsz van Rijn
Man with a tortoise
The Man with the Golden Helmet
Portrait of a man, perhaps Rembrandt's father, Harmen Gerritsz van Rijn
Old man with a red cap
Old man leaning on a balustrade