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Laughing Man in a Gorget

Laughing Man in a Gorget

Series Title: Tronies

After: Rembrandt (Dutch, 1606 - 1669)

Etched by: Jan van Vliet (Dutch, active c. 1628 - 1637)

Date: 1634
Medium: ink on paper
Dimensions:
Sheet: 8 5/8 x 7 1/8 in. (21.9 x 18.1 cm)
Framed: 14 1/2 x 13 1/4 in. (36.8 x 33.7 cm)
Credit Line:Museum Purchase
Object number: 1970.89.1
Based on a now lost self-portrait by Rembrandt, this etching shows the laughing cavalier, a popular theme in the seventeenth century. The sitter wears an armored collar, a gorget, and is caught in a spontaneous smile. Off-duty soldiers during the period had reputations for drinking too much, visiting brothels, playing cards, and participating in general raucous revelry.
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