Study for Portrait of a Man in an Armchair, from Collection d'imitations de Dessins d'après les Principaux Maîtres Hollandais et Flamands

The drawing, Study for Portrait of a Man in an Armchair, from Collection d'imitations de Dessins d'après les Principaux Maîtres Hollandais et Flamands, was created by Christian Josi in 1826, serving as a meticulous imitation of a lost work by the revered Dutch Master, Rembrandt van Rijn. Josi executed this piece using graphite layered over a foundational sketch in red chalk, utilizing the lightweight tracing paper common for reproductive drawings of the 19th century. This specific study depicts a seated male figure in a robust armchair, likely preparatory work related to one of Rembrandt's numerous formal portraits from the 17th century.

The drawing belongs to a larger published portfolio that aimed to disseminate faithful copies of drawings by influential artists from the Netherlands and Flanders. This practice of close imitation was vital in the 18th and 19th centuries, allowing scholars and fellow artists access to masterworks before the advent of widespread photography. The precision in Josi's rendering aims to capture the compositional structure and tonal complexity of the presumed Rembrandt original.

Created nearly two centuries after the Golden Age, this 1826 drawing illustrates the enduring influence of the Dutch school. Josi’s work is particularly significant because the original drawing upon which it is based is now lost, making this piece a crucial record of Rembrandt's proposed compositional approach. This important example of historical art reproduction resides in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Because the copyright for such historical works has long expired, images of this piece are now generally in the public domain and frequently used to create high-quality art prints for educational and scholarly purposes.