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A Man seated reading at a Table in a Lofty Room

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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This atmospheric painting shows a lonely figure seated in front of a huge volume open on the table before him. Brilliant sunlight floods through the gloom onto the wall of the room. Much of the image’s power lies not just in the dramatic tension between light and dark, but in the way the artist has used thick white paint and grey detailing to capture the refraction and reflection of light by the window glass. In the deep shadows beyond these highlights we can make out shelves of books and two globes mounted on the wall above them. This is a library and so the man at the table must be a scholar. But while it is highly evocative, this painting has also proved controversial. When bought by the National Gallery in 1917 it was believed to be an important early work by Rembrandt.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

A Man seated reading at a Table in a Lofty Room

Date

about 1628-30

Medium

Oil on oak

Measurements

H 55.1 x W 46.5 cm

Accession number

NG3214

Acquisition method

Bought, 1917

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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