This painting is apparently titled: Old Man in Prayer, and some sites (mostly art reproduction sites) attribute it to Rembrandt. But, I cannot find it in any Rembrandt sites.
This site describes it as thus:
Follower of Rembrandt
Old Man Praying
c. 1661 or later
87.3 x 72.1 cm
Oil on canvas
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
The spirit is there. And it is through contemplating and recreating the great artists that we learn about them, and about the subjects they chose. The old man is indeed praying.
Update:
Noelle Ocon, Associate Conservator of Paintings at the North Carolina Museum of Art, and Kimberly Cook, Assistant Registrar at Cleveland Museum of Art, are photographed inspecting Old Man Praying in a report by the Columbus Dispatch titled "Exhibit includes works not by masters." The photograph is titled: "Noelle Ocon of the North Carolina Museum of Art, left, and Kimberly Cook of the Cleveland museum with Rembrandt’s Old Man Praying." Below is an excerpt from the article:
The North Carolina Museum of Art has curated an exhibit of 30 works by Rembrandt from American collectors — which is especially appropriate given that the museum’s first director was partly responsible for authenticating many works as Rembrandt pieces that actually weren’t.I can safely assume that the painting is a Rembrandt, and it is titled Old Man Praying.
Noelle Ocon of the North Carolina Museum of Art, left,
and Kimberly Cook of the Cleveland museum
with Rembrandt’s Old Man Praying
There is still no information on the date and medium (although it is most likely oil), and why it is so hard to find online, but once I find out more, I will provide the updated information.
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Larry Auster at the View From the Right makes this acknowledgement about prayer in a post which he titles: "I’ve contradicted myself on the question of prayer":
It’s funny, but I just realized that when I recently said that I do not relate to praying to God for material benefits for myself, I was contradicting what I was saying—and doing—just a few months ago.The unsophisticated Christian knows that he can:
Sometime in the late fall, I had decided on certain prayers I needed to make, and I was making them. The first was that I straighten myself out with God before I die.
The second was that I be able to complete my must-do projects, mainly writing projects, but also personal projects, before I die. (I think there was a third prayer, but I don’t remember what it was; maybe there were only two prayers.)
I feel I have, through God’s grace, made amazing progress on the spiritual goal that I was praying for. In amazed gratitude I’ve written several times about my sense of greater closeness to Jesus.
In any case I was wrong in saying I did not like to pray for material benefits for myself.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (Luke 11:5-13)I think that God shows us how to pray, and what to pray for, if we trust him. Perhaps one of the things we can do is to ask God "How can I pray for myself? What should I ask for?"
If that is too contradictory (asking someone for help with asking for something he can give you), then, one can ask for for the specific things, in true, holy prayer. Selfish desires, evil wishes and careless requests will soon fall to the bottom, and the true and good requests will rise to the top. And I think we can be transformed by such prayers, and become better Christians.
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat