
Bust of an elderly man with a caricature head
anonymous
Marble portraiture, usually reserved for rulers and the nobility, is here playfully employed for a base subject: a coarse old man’s head with grotesque features. This kind of overturning of convention and mocking of artistic decorum was highly appreciated by art collectors.
c. 1650
Marble (rock)
38.0 x 26.5 cm
BK-NM-3056
Image and text courtesy of Rijksmuseum, 2019
Where you'll find this

Rijksmuseum
Permanent collection