Because of his long cap, the figure in this print has long been considered to be a person from Poland. But upon closer inspection, the man appears to be a hurdy-gurdy player, a roaming street musician. He has tucked his instrument under his arm and supports it with his left leg. Rembrandt completed at least four etchings that featured a hurdy-gurdy player, giving dignity to what others considered vagrants and beggars. The hurdy-gurdy player was a popular theme in Golden Age Holland; the instrument was a requirement for secular, popular dance, and ballad music of the period.
