In this compelling and mysterious portrait, Norblin sits at a work table before a window, fixing the viewer with a penetrating gaze. His tools and a plate are on the table and scrim (a translucent shade) is hung at an angle in front of window to diffuse the glare from the highly polished plate. The mood, subject, pose, composition, and tonality are inspired by Rembrandt's Self Portrait Drawing at a Window (1648; Achenbach, inv. 1959.40.19). Jean-Pierre Norblin, known as de la Gourdaine, was born and died in France but, from 1773 to 1804, he lived in Poland where he served a sa court painter for King Stanislaus II.There, he established a successful art school and began a lifelong study of Rembrandt, which led to him making his own prints.