Why did _The Singing Boy_ at Vienna, apart from the quality of the painting, and the joy depicted on that young smiling face, make a personal appeal to him?
Because he is Rembrandt's son, Titus; or if Titus was not actually the model, the features and the smile of Titus hovered between the father and the canvas.
[Illustration: AN OLD WOMAN IN AN ARM CHAIR, WITH A BLACK HEAD-CLOTH 1654.

The Hermitage, St.Petersburg.] He found an authentic portrait of Titus in the Wallace collection, painted in 1657, the year after Rembrandt had become bankrupt.

It is one of the most charming portraits the master ever produced, a picture that even the most casual frequenter of galleries must pause before and love.

A red cap crowns his curly hair, which falls to his shoulders.

The face has a sweet expression; but the observant can detect traces of ill-health upon it.
Titus died before his father.