Young Man, Seated, in a Velvet Beret, after Rembrandt

Young Man, Seated, in a Velvet Beret, after Rembrandt

Edgar Degas

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Degas first developed an interest in Rembrandt after viewing his prints in the collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, as a young man during the early 1850s. He spent time there sketching from the Dutch master’s works in order to refine his technique and record thematic inspiration for future production. Soon after, Degas moved to Italy and met the etcher Joseph Tourny, who instructed him in the technical aspects of printmaking and further encouraged him to emulate Rembrandt's style. Upon returning to Paris, Degas realized several prints after Rembrandt, producing works that—like this one—were more reinterpretations than direct copies. Young Man, Seated, in a Velvet Beret, after Rembrandt reverses the composition of Rembrandt's Young Man in a Velvet Cap (29.107.9) and excises all extraneous details to focus on the expressive, brooding subject. Degas' uneven application of ink to the surface of the copper plate renders the work unique in spite of its reproductive nature.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Young Man, Seated, in a Velvet Beret, after RembrandtYoung Man, Seated, in a Velvet Beret, after RembrandtYoung Man, Seated, in a Velvet Beret, after RembrandtYoung Man, Seated, in a Velvet Beret, after RembrandtYoung Man, Seated, in a Velvet Beret, after Rembrandt

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.