Homer
Rembrandt van Rijn
1663
Rembrandt used broad brushstrokes in painting the head of the Greek poet Homer. His golden yellow robe gleams in the light, where Rembrandt applied the paint very effectively with a palette knife. The painting was commissioned by the Sicilian nobleman Antonio Ruffo. Originally, you could also see the scribe to whom the blind Homer dictated his verses. But this part was lost in a fire. On the lower right, you can still see two fingers holding a pen and a sheet of paper.
oil on canvas
107 x 82 cm.
Bequest A. Bredius, The Hague, 1946