The Laughing Man

The Laughing Man from 1629, painted on copper in the Mauritshuis, is among the smallest and most technically demanding of Rembrandt's early Leiden expression studies. The copper support — unusual for a painter who typically worked on panel or canvas — required modifications to the paint's handling, as the smooth non-absorbent ground would behave differently from the gessoed panels he normally used. The choice of copper may reflect Rembrandt's awareness of the exquisitely detailed copper paintings produced by Flemish cabinet painters in the previous generation, whose small-scale works commanded high prices from connoisseur collectors. The laughing expression — teeth visible, eyes crinkled, the whole face animated by genuine amusement — was a subject in which Frans Hals in Haarlem had no peer, and Rembrandt's systematic exploration of the same territory in these early Leiden studies reflects both competitive ambition and a genuine fascination with the technical problem of capturing fleeting expression.

Rembrandt captures the spontaneous expression with quick, precise observation, using dramatic lighting to enhance the vitality of the laughing face with energetic, confident brushwork.