X. PORTRAITS OF MEN. 237 A MAN IN AN AKBOUR: He is sitting at a table in an arbour, his face is seen in front, but his body is inclined to the left; his beard is short; his head is covered with the mezetin cap; he rests his left hand on the table, and appears to be pointing at some object with his right. This piece is etched with spirit, and is scarce. Under a stroke near the top, on the left, is written Rembrandt f. 1642. 2120. 210 238 A YOUNG MAN SITTING IN A CHAIR. The head of this young man, is nearly in front, but turned a little towards the right, and covered with a bonnet. The body is turned to the left, and dressed in a kind of jacket flowered; his right hand rests on his thigh, and his left is in his breast. Upon the whole, this figure has much the appearance of a Scotch Highlander. The back-ground is shaded nearly as high as the top of the chair, and on the left, as high as the date, which is 1650, and near the top. This piece is extremely rare. 239 AN OLD MAN WITH A LARGE BEARD, AN UNFI NISHED PIECE. The face is a three-quarters, and the head is covered with the usual cap placed on one side; his left hand is raised to it, in the attitude of a person who is saluting another. The cap is highly finished; there is no other drapery made out, except the shirt sleeve, and some fur which covers the elbow. 510-410 The face is 240 BUST OF AN OLD MAN WITH A LONG BEARD. 410-410 Of this there are three impressions. The first impression is extremely rare, it measures 470 by 4 and was taken before the plate was cleaned. It is spotty in several places as high as the neck of the old man. The second impression is 4% by 47% and it is dated 1631, but that part of the plate on which the date was written, was afterwards cut off, and in the third impression the name Rt. only remains. There is an excellent copy in the same direction as the original. 241 THE MAN WITH THE CRUCIFIX AND CHAIN. The head is a three-quarters directed towards the left, and covered with a calotte, or leathern cap; the hair hangs loose. Round the neck is a chain, at which hangs a crucifix. He holds a pen in his right hand, and a paper lies before him on which he is prepar ing to write; his left hand rests on a book. He has on a rich dress, with a fine fur cloak thrown over his right arm. This piece is finely executed; the face and hair are very delicately touched, nearly without shade. The back-ground is dark. To the left, in a broad margin of nearly an inch, is written Rembrandt f. 1641. 6-4 Of this there are two different impressions. The first may be regarded as presque-unique. In it the shirt neck does not appear, and the subject in general is less wrought upon. 242 AN OLD MAN WITH A LARGE WHITE BEARD. He is a half-length seen nearly in front, with a fur cap on his head; and his beard is white and long; he is sitting in an elbow chair, on an arm of which he leans his right elbow, which throws the hand across his breast, in a loose hanging posture. He is wrapped in a great gown or cloak. On the left side is written Rt. f. The back-ground is shaded as high as his right elbow. This piece is very well executed. There is a copy 510-510 of it reversed, marked Rt. 243 PORTRAIT OF A MAN WITH A SHORT BEARD. This is a half-length, the body is directed towards the right, but the face is turned so as to be seen in front; the beard is short and rough, the head is covered with a fur cap, and the body with an embroidered cloak. The back-ground is shaded on the left side as high as the shoulder. Of this there are four impressions. The first is supposed to be unique; it measures 6 by 570, and as P. Yver only mentions it from hearsay, it may be taken for granted, that it does not exist in Holland in this state. The second impression, which is extremely rare, has the hand; and it is very remarkable, that it appears to be a left hand to a right arm. This is probably the reason of its being taken out afterwards, though a few strokes might have rectified the error, without the necessity of taking out the hand at all. The size of this impression is 5 by 5%. It is less worked than the posterior ones, the shades on the face and ear, not being so deep; and the character is a fine one of an old man. Near the top left corner, is written Rt. 1631. In the third impression, the plate is reduced to 4% in width, and the character of the face is altered. The hand and arm are both taken out, and something is substituted for the latter, that it is difficult to understand. In the fourth impression, the face is more altered: it has a mean appearance, and not suitable to the dress he wears. 244 ABRAHAM VANDER LInden. This portrait is a half-length, well executed, and produces a strong effect. Linden was a professor in the university of Leyden, and is represented in his robe, standing in a garden before a balustrade. He has a neck-band broad and plain; and the cuff at his wrist is turned up in the same manner. He holds a book which is shut, between the fingers of his left hand. His face is a three-quarters, inclining to the left. His hair is curled, and the head is uncovered. The back-ground consists of trees, except on the left, where, above the balustrade, an arch in a wall is seen, and above the wall the sky is visible. It measures including a margin of 2 inches, 61% -416 Of this piece there are two impressions. In the first, which is scarce, at the bottom on the left is a column formed of horizontal strokes. 245 AN OLD MAN IN A FUR CAP, DIVIDED IN THE MIDDLE. This portrait is lightly etched with great spirit. The face is a three-quarters turned to the right; the beard large, round and bushy; the head is covered with a high fur cap, the top of which is fringed, and divided in the middle; this cap falls over his left eye, and discovers on the other side, part of a calotte under it; the whole of his right ear is seen, with the hair about it frizled; the body is seen in front, and covered in part with a cloak, being open be |