This picture of a striking male head with thick curly hair relates directly to Bisschop’s three-quarter length Self-portrait of 1668, now in the museum in Dordrecht. The artist’s face is recognizable in the distinctively small, almond-shaped eyes, powerful nose and fleshy lips. His mass of curly golden locks also features prominently in both images. The looser, sketchier handling evident in this small canvas strongly suggests that it was produced as an initial study for the larger portrait. Here, the head is shown in three-quarter profile, facing right, while in the Dordrecht painting the artist’s head is turned more toward the viewer. Bisschop appears to have planned initially on an over-the-shoulder glance—very common in self-portraits—which he modified in the final work to establish a more direct confrontation with the viewer. The sheeny orange garment worn in the study (possibly the type of informal gown known as a Japonsche rock) was ultimately exchanged for a plainer smock, caught in at the waist with a sash. The somewhat stern yet charming expression, with furrowed brow and lips parted in a faint smile, is reminiscent of the assertively masculine portraits of Ferdinand Bol, Bisschop’s teacher.