A solitary elderly man appears in strict profile, his head bowed and his gaze directed downward, filling the left side of the panel. The man's face is illuminated by a soft, focused light that falls from the upper left, revealing the furrows in his brow, the prominent bridge of his nose, and the deep lines etched into his cheek. His skin is rendered in warm ochres and pinks, with thick, textured brushstrokes especially visible across the forehead and temple, where the paint stands proud of the surface.

The hair is sparse and grey, receding from the crown and blending into a full, curling beard that catches the light along its upper edge and dissolves into shadow below. The figure's dark garment merges with the shadowy background, leaving only the head and upper chest distinctly visible, and the absence of detail in the clothing focuses attention on the play of light across the face and beard. The background is a plain, muted brown, with soft gradations and no suggestion of setting or context, allowing the features of the sitter to dominate the composition.

The brushwork varies from broad, loose strokes in the background and clothing to more precise, layered touches in the rendering of the face and hair, giving the surface a lively, tactile quality. No secondary figures or objects are present anywhere in the composition, leaving the subject entirely alone against the background. The background transitions from a lighter brown near the top left to a deeper, cooler brown toward the lower right edge.

Light falls most strongly on the upper forehead and the bridge of the nose, leaving the ear and lower beard in partial shadow. The paint on the forehead is applied with thick, swirling strokes, while the edges of the figure are softly blended into the background, especially along the back of the head and shoulders. This work is a tronie, a genre painting that focuses on the study of a character or type rather than a specific individual. Study of an Old Man in Profile was created by Rembrandt in 1630.