Young Man in a Velvet Cap (Ferdinand Bol)

The influential print, Young Man in a Velvet Cap (Ferdinand Bol), was created by Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) in 1637. This highly refined example of Dutch Golden Age printmaking is an etching, demonstrating the artist’s profound technical skill in manipulating line and shadow. During the 1630s, Rembrandt was at the height of his printmaking career, utilizing the etching needle to achieve textures and depths previously associated primarily with painting.

The work functions as an intimate portrait of a young man, traditionally identified as Ferdinand Bol, one of Rembrandt’s most promising pupils. The subject, dressed in contemporary attire and distinguished by a soft velvet cap, is rendered with dramatic contrasts of light and shadow, highlighting his expressive face against a darker background. Rembrandt used varied densities of cross-hatching and fine parallel lines to create a palpable sense of texture on the cap and jacket, while leaving the face relatively smooth to draw the viewer’s attention. This sophisticated handling of the printing plate illustrates why Rembrandt is considered one of history’s greatest masters of the print medium.

This exceptional impression of the work is preserved within the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it serves as a key example of the artist's masterful graphic production. The image of the subject in the velvet cap remains highly influential, reflecting the period's emphasis on detailed, psychological portraiture. Today, high-quality images of this 17th-century etching are widely available through public domain resources, allowing broad access to Rembrandt’s early masterpieces in the field of prints.