Jan Asselijn, Painter ('Krabbetje')

Jan Asselijn (1610-1652) was a Dutch landscape painter who had worked in Rome, where his Dutch fellow-painters gave him the rather insensitive nickname 'Krabbetje’ (little crab), referring to a malformation of his left hand. It is Rembrandt's first printed portrait of another artist, created soon after Asselijn had returned to Holland. Rembrandt depicts him elegantly dressed in a confident pose, with his misshapen hand resting on his hip, discreetly hidden amongst the folds of his luxurious clothes. On the table at left, we see his attributes as a painter, a palette and some brushes, as well as some books to demonstrate his learning. In the first state, an easel with an Italianate landscape stood behind the painter but was soon removed in the subsequent state.