Bust of an Old Man with a High Cap

By the 1620s, the Dutch sought out tronies (head studies) as unvarnished glimpses into the human spirit. This rare early state shows Jan Lievens’ economical use of stippling and wiry lines to capture this (probably) live model, achieving the feel of a drawing. Like his friend Rembrandt, Lievens was born in Leiden, Holland, and was drawn to wizened faces.