The image shows a bust view of a person, depicted from the shoulders up. The individual is positioned in a three-quarter view, with their head turned slightly to the left. The person has an aged appearance with a furrowed brow, a pronounced nose, and flowing hair that is full and slightly unkempt, cascading down over the forehead and ears. Their facial hair includes a full beard, which blends into the longer hair. The person is wearing a loose-fitting, long-sleeved garment. They are leaning on a flat surface, likely a book or manuscript. The background consists of dense cross-hatching and lines, suggesting a textured or patterned wall behind the figure, with some angled structural beams overhead.
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The image shows a bust view of a person, depicted from the shoulders up. The individual is positioned in a three-quarter view, with their head turned slightly to the left. The person has an aged appearance with a furrowed brow, a pronounced nose, and flowing hair that is full and slightly unkempt, cascading down over the forehead and ears. Their facial hair includes a full beard, which blends into the longer hair. The person is wearing a loose-fitting, long-sleeved garment. They are leaning on a flat surface, likely a book or manuscript. The background consists of dense cross-hatching and lines, suggesting a textured or patterned wall behind the figure, with some angled structural beams overhead.

National Gallery of Art · Print

A Philosopher

Paul Troger

Date
1720s
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 10.8 x 8 cm (4 1/4 x 3 1/8 in.) sheet: 11.4 x 8.3 cm (4 1/2 x 3 1/4 in.)
Classification
Print
Accession number
1999.98.12
Credit line
Gift of The Ahmanson Foundation
Time span
1701 to 1725
Department
CG-E

Subjects and terms

  • etching
  • occupation
  • genre
  • Austrian
  • Reading
  • Book
Provenance

Thomas Graf, Berlin (1878 - 1951)(Lugt 1092a). Wilhelm Soldan, Berlin, after 1950 (Lugt undescribed). (sale, Galerie Gerda Bassenge, Berlin, 4-5 June 1999, lot 6026); (C. G. Boerner, New York); purchased 1999 with funds contributed by The Ahmanson Foundation.

Inscription

lower left in plate: P.T. f.; by later hand, lower center verso in graphite: Troger N. 2

NGA object ID 110483. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.