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''Philosopher in Meditation'' (Bredius 431)〔Abraham Bredius, ''Rembrandt Gemälde'', Phaidon Verlag, Vienna, 1935, 18: "Gelehrter in einem Raum mit Wendeltreppe." A few decades earlier, Wurzbach merely translated the title from the French, Alfred von Wurzbach, ''Niederländische Künstler-Lexikon'' vol. II, Vienna and Leipzig, 1910: B. 122, ''Der Philosoph in Betrachtung''.〕 is the traditional title of an oil painting in the Musée du Louvre, Paris, that has long been attributed to the 17th-century Dutch artist Rembrandt. It is signed "RHL-van Rijn" and dated 1632, at the time of Rembrandt's move from Leiden to Amsterdam.〔Jacques Foucart, ''Les Peintures de Rembrandt au Louvre'', Éditions de la R.M.N., Paris, 1982, 19-23, 89.〕 Recent scholarship suggests that the painting depicts "Tobit and Anna waiting for their son Tobias" instead. The painting appeared in Paris around the middle of the 18th century and made the rounds of aristocratic collections before being acquired for the royal collections housed in the Louvre Palace.〔See the Provenance in J. Bruyn, B. Haak, H. Levie, P.J.J. van Thiel, E. van de Wetering, ''Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings, vol. II, 1631-1634'', Martinus Frijhof, Dordrecht, Boston and Lancaster, 1986, 644. See also, Anne Leclair, "Les deux ''Philosophes'' de Rembrandt: une passion de collectionneurs," ''La Revue des Musées de France-Revue du Louvre'', 5, 2006, 38-43.〕 The presumed subject matter, the finely graded chiaroscuro treatment and intricate composition were widely appreciated in France and the painting is mentioned in the writings of many 19th- and 20th-century literary figures, including George Sand, Théophile Gautier, Jules Michelet, Marcel Proust, Paul Valéry, Gaston Bachelard, Paul Claudel, and Aldous Huxley. The popularity of the painting may be measured by its presence on the internet, where it is often used as an emblem of philosophy, or interpreted along esoteric or occult lines. ==Description== Painted in oils on an oak panel measuring about 11 x 13 in. (28 x 34 cm), the painting depicts in slightly accelerated perspective two figures in a partially vaulted interior that is dominated by a wooden spiral staircase. The architecture includes stone, brick and wood, with arched elements (window, vault, doors) that create an impression of monumentality. On the pre-iconographic level, this is one of the most "graphic" works painted by Rembrandt, in the sense that it contains many straight, curved, circular, and radiating lines: from the lines of the flagstones to those of the window, the bricks, the wainscotting, and of course the staircase. As in the staircase and the basketwork tray at the center of the composition, the curved lines can be said to organize the straight lines.〔Jean-Marie Clarke, "Le Philosophe en méditation, de Rembrandt," ''Cahiers de Psychologie de l'art et de la culture'', Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, 6, 1980, 132.〕 The first figure is that of an old man seated at a table in front of a window, his head bowed and his hands folded in his lap. The second figure is that of an old woman tending a fire in an open hearth. A third figure—a woman standing in the stairs carrying a basket and turned to the spectator—is visible in 18th- and 19th-century engraved reproductions of the painting, but virtually invisible in the painting's present state.〔For example, this figure is visible in the engraving of the painting by Devilliers l'aîné in Joseph Lavallée, ''Galerie du musée de France'', vol. 8, Filhol, Paris, 1814, pl. III. The third figure does not appear in the turn-of-the-century engraving by Timothy Cole in John Charles Van Dyke, Timothy Cole, ''Old Dutch and Flemish Masters Engraved by Timothy Cole With Critical Notes by John C. Van Dyke and Comments by the Engraver'', The Century Co., New York, 1901, 32.〕 As it is, the overall painting is quite dark due to the aging of the varnish.〔Ernst van de Wetering et al., ''A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings, vol. V, The Small History Paintings'', Springer, Dordrecht, 2011, 197. As Van de Wetering notes, "the paint layers were covered with an extremely thick, yellowed layer of varnish, as a result of which it is very difficult to get any clear insight into its pictorial characteristics."〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Philosopher in Meditation」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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