Eugène von Rosen was a railway builder, dubbed the “father of Swedish railways”. This portrait was painted by his son, Georg von Rosen, who had such an admiration for the old masters that, early in his career, he attempted to paint like them. In his image of his father, he skilfully conveys a mood reminiscent of some of Rembrandt’s monumental portrayals of character, but at the same time he has incisively captured a man of his times.