Portrait of Ephraim Bueno

Rembrandt van Rijn, 1645 - 1647

Ephraim Bueno (1599–1665), a Jewish physician, poet and translator from Portugal, probably belonged to Rembrandt’s circle of friends. Rembrandt painted his portrait as a preparatory study for a print. He concentrated on the face and the division of light and dark; the rest was less important for the purposes of this sketch. This explains the fairly coarse brushstrokes for the clothing and hands.

  • Artwork typepainting
  • Object numberSK-A-3982
  • Dimensionsheight 19 cm x width 15 cm, depth 6 cm
  • Physical characteristicsoil on panel

Identification

  • Title(s)

    • Portrait of Ephraim Bueno
    • Portrait of Dr Ephraïm Bueno
    • Portrait of a Man, thought to be Dr. Ephraïm Bueno (former title)

  • Object type

  • Object number

    SK-A-3982

  • Description

    Portret van een man, vermoedelijk Dr. Ephraïm Bueno (1599-1665), Joods geneesheer en letterkundige te Amsterdam. Ten halven lijve, staande en leunend met de linkerhand op de leuning van een trap. Op het hoofd een hoge zwart hoed. Voorstudie voor de ets uit 1647 (Bartsch 278).

Creation

  • Creation

    painter: Rembrandt van Rijn

  • Dating

    1645 - 1647

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Material and technique

  • Physical description

    oil on panel

  • Dimensions

    • height 19 cm x width 15 cm
    • depth 6 cm

This work is about

  • Person

  • Subject

Acquisition and rights

  • Copyright

    Public domain

  • Provenance

    …; ? sale, Willem Six (1662-1733, Amsterdam), Amsterdam (G. Schoemaker et al.), 12 May 1734, no. 84 (‘Het Joode Doctortje, genaamt Epfraim Bueno, door Rembrand van Ryn'.), fl. 80, to the painter and dealer Philip van Dijk;{Copy Six Archives, Amsterdam.} …; sale, Johan Hendrik, Graaf van Wassenaer Obdam (1683-1745, The Hague), The Hague (P. de Hondt), 17 (19) August 1750 sqq., no. 8 ('Het Doctoortje, met 2 Handen. 7 1/2 x 6 duim [19.3 x 15.4 cm]'.), fl. 138, to the dealer P. Ietswaart, probably for Gerret Braamcamp (1699-1771), Amsterdam;{Bille 1961, II, p. 114, no. 178.} first recorded in his collection, 1752;{Coll. cat. Braamcamp 1752, p. 508: 'Een dito van een oud Man, zynde het Doctoortje, door denzelven [Rembrandt] h. 7 en een half d., br. 6 d. [19.3 x 15.4 cm] P.'.} his sale, Amsterdam (P. van der Schley et al.), 31 July 1771, no. 178 (‘Hoog 7 1/2, en breed 6 duim. [19.3 x 15.4 cm] Pnl. Het Pourtrait van Ephraïm Bonus, bekend onder den naam van Joodsche Doctor, zynde ter halver lyf verbeeld, als van een trap afkomende. Rembrand heeft dit Pourtrait zelfs in Print gebragt’.), fl. 200, to the dealer P. Fouquet; …; sale, Jonkheer Johan Goll van Franckenstein (1756-1832, Amsterdam), Amsterdam (J. de Vries et al.) 1 July 1833, no. 67 ('Hauteur 19 cm; largeur 16 cm. Bois. Pourtrait d'Ephraim Bonus surnommé le docteur juif et connu par la gravure qu'en a faite Rembrandt lui-même. Ce personnage est debout portant à un des doigts de sa main gauche le fameux anneau que connaissent si bien les compilateurs en estampes. Il y a dans cette figure un nerf et une vie qui étonnent'.), fl. 825, to the dealer A. Brondgeest for Jonkheer Hendrik Six (1790-1847), Lord of Hillegom, Amsterdam; his sons, Jan Pieter Six (1824-99), Lord of Hillegom and Pieter Hendrik Six (1827-1905), Lord of Vromade, Amsterdam; his son, Jonkheer Jan Willem Six (1872-1936), Lord of Vromade, The Hague (lent to the museum, April 1915 - March 1920, SK-C-1046); his sale, Amsterdam (F. Muller), 29 June 1920, no. 1, fl. 88,000, to Fritz Mannheimer (1890-1939), 20 Hobbemastraat, Amsterdam; by whom, with the rest of his collection, fl. 6,350,000, to Artistic & General Securities Ltd. as collateral security for the Mendelssohn & Co. Bank, but kept in usufruct;{Haga 1974, p. 88; Muller/Schretlin 2002, p. 53.} from Mendelssohn & Co. Bank, fl. 150,000, to the Dienststelle Mühlmann, The Hague, for Adolf Hitler's Führermuseum, Linz, 1940 (inv. no. 1428);{Schwarz 2004, p. 103, no. II/39.} war recuperation, SNK, 9 October 1945;{Schwarz 2004, p. 103, no. II/39; MCCP website, no. 1494.} on loan from the SNK to the museum, June 1948 - 1960 (SK-C-1397); transferred to the museum, 1960

Documentation

  • The Rembrandt Database, Object information, Rembrandt, Portrait of a man probably Ephraïm Bueno, c. 1647, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, inv. no. SK-A-3982, http://www.rembrandtdatabase.org/Rembrandt/painting/2957/portrait-of-a-man-probably-ephraim-bueno, accessed 2016 February 01

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