Man in Oriental Dress 1635
by Rembrandt
Rembrandt manipulated light in a highly personal way. Here, the man’s turban and the right side of his face are brilliantly illuminated, while the left side is in shadow.
Exotic character heads like this – they are not portraits – were extremely popular in the 17th century; early on, they were widely copied and imitated. They were known as ‘Turkish tronies’.
- Credit:
- Courtesy of Rijksmuseum
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