Rembrandt began to work as a professional portraitist about 1631. Representing historical figures on a grand scale, following the example of the highly acclaimed artists as Rubens and Van Dyck, was a great challenge for the young painter.

The thoughtful portrayal of old people of both sexes is a conspicuous feature of Rembrandt's work, especially in his Leiden years. He also often represented old people singly. The models in these paintings are sometimes represented in their own persons, but more often they are dressed in one or more of the exotic costumes which Rembrandt accumulated and kept in his studio wardrobe.

Preview	Picture Data	File Info	Comment
	An Old Woman: The Artist's Mother c. 1629 Oil on panel, 61,3 x 47,3 cm Royal Collection, Windsor	725*950 True Color 73 Kb
	Old Woman Praying 1629-30 Oil on copper, 16 x 12 cm Residenzgalerie, Salzburg	900*1157 True Color 117 Kb
	Bust of an Old Man in a Fur Cap 1630 Oil on wood, 22 x 17,5 cm Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum, Innsbruck	600*759 True Color 61 Kb
	Old Soldier 1630 Oil on wood, 35 x 26 cm The Hermitage, St. Petersburg	630*841 True Color 58 Kb
	The Prophetess Anna (known as 'Rembrandt's Mother') 1631 Oil on panel, 60 x 48 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam	1128*1400 True Color 193 Kb
	Portrait of Nicolaes Ruts 1631 Oil on mahogany panel, 119 x 89 cm Frick Collection, New York	626*850 True Color 69 Kb
	A Scholar 1631 Oil on canvas, 105 x 92 cm The Hermitage, St. Petersburg	837*958 True Color 72 Kb
	Portrait of Aeltje Pietersdr. Uylenburgh 1632 Oil on panel 75 x 56 cm Mauritshuis, The Hague	1100*1449 True Color 77 Kb
	Young Woman with Fan 1632 Oil on canvas, 72 x 54 cm Nationalmuseum, Stockholm	900*1204 True Color 99 Kb
	Maurits Huygens, Secretary of the Council of State 1632 Oil on panel, 31 x 25 cm Kunsthalle, Hamburg	773*1000 True Color 62 Kb
	Portrait of the Artist Jacob de Gheyn 1632 Oil on panel, 30 x 25 cm Dulwich Picture Gallery, London	826*1000 True Color 61 Kb
	Portrait of a Man 1632 Oil on wood, 76 x 52 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York	1200*1610 True Color 84 Kb
	Man in Oriental Costume 1632 Oil on canvas, 153 x 111 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York	1218*1500 True Color 127 Kb
	Man in Oriental Costume (detail) 1632 Oil on canvas Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York	1144*1500 True Color 168 Kb
	Portrait of a Man 1632 Oil on canvas, 112 x 89 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York	1264*1600 True Color 172 Kb
	Portrait of a Woman 1632 Oil on canvas, 112 x 89 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York	1278*1600 True Color 184 Kb
	Man Sharpening a Quill 1632 Oil on canvas, 102 x 82 cm Staatliche Museen, Kassel	900*1123 True Color 94 Kb
	Portrait of a Young Woman 1632 Oil on canvas, 92 x 71 cm Akademie der bildenden Künste, Vienna	1227*1500 True Color 122 Kb
	Amalia van Solms, wife of Stadholder Frederik Hendrik c. 1632 Oil on panel, 69 x 56 cm Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris	900*1140 True Color 75 Kb
	Portrait of Joris de Caulleery c. 1632 Oil on canvas, 101 x 83 cm Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco	1200*1501 True Color 123 Kb