Three Orientals Conversing, Rembrandt van Rijn, c. 1645
pen and brown ink; traces of framing line (left) in brown ink, h 172mm × w 152mm Catalogue entry
In Rembrandt’s time, Amsterdam was an extremely cosmopolitan trade centre. Rembrandt was very interested in foreign types, especially in what have long been termed ‘Orientals’. For him, they probably represented biblical figures. He was especially intrigued by their faces and exotic clothing. He recorded them so that he could make the biblical scenes in his paintings and etchings as authentic as possible.
