Full-length drawing of a man, seated beside a table and with a costume hung on a rack behind him. The subject has been identified as the actor Willem Ruyter (1587–1639), dressing for the part of Bishop Gozewijn in Joost van den Vondel's famous tragedy, Gijsbrecht van Amstel, written in 1637 and first performed in 1638. Rembrandt is known to have been in touch with Vondel, and he may have attended rehearsals and visited actors in their dressing rooms. Other drawings by Rembrandt also show individual actors and scenes from this play.
The drawing was previously in the collection of N. A. Flinck, and it is presumed that it was purchased for the Devonshire Collection by the 2nd Duke of Devonshire in 1723–1724.
