Nicolaes Ruts (1586-1649), Amsterdam merchant in the Russian trade, born Mennonite and converted to Calvinism. Rembrandt's likeness of him, perhaps the first portrait commission the artist received from someone outside of his own family, was painted presumably for Ruts' daughter Susanna. A 1636 inventory of her property listed the picture of her father as "the portrait of Nicolaes Ruts made by Rembrandt." The dramatic contrasts in lighting and the detailed rendering of the varied textures are characteristic of Rembrandt's early work, differing markedly from the warm, diffused light and broad brushwork that distinguish his portraits executed over a quarter of a century later. (http://collections.frick.org)