The Scholar

In the present work, Ernst has swapped the drama and brilliance of his larger Orientalist works, for a much subtler and more intimate rendition of his subject. The careful use of chiaroscuro to model and illuminate the figure, the sitter's pose, and very careful attention to surface texture have their roots in the portraiture of Rembrandt, which Ernst would have absorbed from his academic training.

For a fuller biography of the artist, please see lots 77, 105, 117.