Object Image

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
Rijksmuseum

Permanent collection