Man Drawing from a Plaster Cast

Rembrandt van Rijn

c. 1641

ets

Rijksmuseum

A man wearing a cap draws from a plaster bust of a child, illuminated by a candle on a stand. The scene is rendered with dense cross-hatching. A young man with weary eyes is seated at a table drawing a plaster cast of a woman by candlelight. The bust rests on a cushion, which in turn lies on a book. Learning how to draw inanimate three-dimensional objects was a phase in the training of pupils before they were allowed to draw from live models.