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Genre Scenes and StudiesQuestionable
Young Man Sleeping Over a Book
- Catalog
- WD-Q08
- Artist
- Willem Drost
- Year
- c. 1655
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Unknown
- Location
- Present location unknown
Description
A genre painting of a young man sleeping over an open book, a subject related to Drost's known scholar paintings such as The Philosopher (WD-004) and Geographer (WD-019). The motif of scholarly repose was popular in the Rembrandt circle.
Analysis
Listed by PubHist as a confirmed Drost painting, this work extends Drost's engagement with scholar subjects. The sleeping figure motif — a young man collapsed over his books — was used by Rembrandt and his pupils to explore themes of intellectual absorption and human frailty. Its current location is unknown and the attribution requires confirmation through museum records or scholarly publications.