Peasant Family on the Tramp

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Peasant Family on the Tramp

Rembrandt van Rijn

Date
c. 1652
Medium
Etching
Department
European Art
Institution
Minneapolis Institute of Art

A myth about Rembrandt is that he etched so many beggars—more than thirty etchings in all—because he felt alienated from society himself. It is true that he once portrayed himself as a beggar, but he was more attracted to the expressive faces, tattered clothing, and crumpled gait of these low subjects. Unusual for the time, Rembrandt gave his beggars real emotions and individualized faces, seemingly with a view toward stirring compassion in his viewers. Netherlands, Europe

The authoritative record is held by Minneapolis Institute of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.

Related across collections

Semantically similar works from Minneapolis Institute of Art and other institutions.