Rembrandt van Rijn
In the Dutch 17th century, Africans were usually depicted as secondary figures, such as enslaved individuals of figures in a Bible scene. But here Rembrandt has made them the main subject; presumably these were free men who lived in Amsterdam.
Rembrandt painted the men in very thin layers of paint. Although he depicted their faces in great detail, like the white shawl, many other parts are only sketchily painted. The painting looks like an unfinished study, but the artist signed it: Rembrandt f 1661 (made by Rembrandt in 1661).
We present this amazing study thanks to the Mauritshuis in The Hague.
P.S. Read about Rembrandt's saddest love story here.