Boy Walking with a Stick

Rembrandt van Rijn, c. 1635 - c. 1640

Why this boy is holding a stick is unclear. Rembrandt may have portrayed a victim of leprosy, who was required to carry a stick to warn his healthy fellow citizens. Rembrandt deliberately did not draw the stick entirely straight, giving it a more natural appearance. He used iron gall ink, notorious for eating holes through paper, so-called ink corrosion.

  • Artwork typedrawing
  • Object numberRP-T-1984-119
  • Dimensionsheight 140 mm x width 107 mm
  • Physical characteristicspen en bruine inkt, met penseel in bruine inkt en witte dekverf, op lichtbruin gekleurd papier