Portrait of Ephraim Bueno

Ephraim Bueno (1599–1665), a Jewish physician, poet and translator from Portugal, probably belonged to Rembrandt’s circle of friends. Rembrandt painted his portrait as a preparatory study for a print. He concentrated on the face and the division of light and dark; the rest was less important for the purposes of this sketch. This explains the fairly coarse brushstrokes for the clothing and hands.