A standing hurdy-gurdy player

A standing hurdy-gurdy player by Rembrandt van Rijn, dated 1631, is a significant early example of the artist's masterful work in printmaking. Executed on paper, this classification denotes a detailed etching, a medium Rijn would elevate throughout his career, transforming it from a reproductive process into a major expressive art form.

The print depicts an itinerant musician, a type of figure frequently seen in Dutch genre scenes of the period. The hurdy-gurdy player, a common sight on the streets, stands hunched over his complex mechanical instrument. Rijn renders the figure in poor, tattered clothing, using precise, delicate line work to define the heavy folds of the garments and the concentrated, weary expression on the player’s face. The instrument itself, a wooden box with a crank mechanism, is captured with keen observational accuracy. This piece exemplifies the 17th-century fascination with realistic depictions of everyday life and marginalized members of society.

This early work demonstrates Rijn's developing skill in manipulating light and shadow, using controlled cross-hatching and varying line weights to create a strong sense of volume and depth. Such small-scale studies often served both as independent works and as character investigations of common people. As a historical document of early 17th century street life, the image remains highly influential for scholars of the Golden Age. This important print is part of the distinguished collection of Dutch art housed at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and high-resolution images of the work are frequently made available through public domain initiatives for study and reference worldwide.