Rembrandt Van Rijn - Etching “Self Portrait Drawing At A Window” 1648

Description: Rembrandt Van Rijn - Etching “Self Portrait Drawing at a Window” 1648. Plate Size - 6 1/4" x 5 1/8"Sheet Size - 12 7/8" x 9 3/4"Gold Frame and Double White MatFrame Size - 25" x 24"Hand signed "Rembrandt 1648" in top left corner.This was the last self portrait etched by Rembrandt. Etching on Ingres d'Arches off-white laid paper (watermark) with large margins. Signed and Dated in the plate (in the window sash, upper left corner). The fifth state according to Bjorklund, the eighth state according to Nowell-Eusticke. A 20th Century impression printed by Marjorie Van Dyke. From the 'Millennium' edition limited to 2500 examples. This superbly printed etching with strong contrasts, selective wiping and fine line work, was pulled from the original plate as created by Rembrandt in 1648. The plate, formerly in the collection of Dr. Robert Lee Humber (along with 77 other original Rembrandt etching plates) had been on loan to the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, NC since the early 1960s. In 1629, Rembrandt began to paint and etch his first self-portraits and routinely sign his name "Rembrandt". Throughout his career he would produce many subsequent self-portraits in both mediums. Scholars differe as to Rembrandt's motivation for creating self-portraits. The earliest notion that he could not afford to pay for models has given way to the more dogent idea that in his pursuit of the "psychological portrait", that is the desire to reveal the human and spiritual nature of the sitter, beyond just the physical likeness, he used his own face to most deeply contemplate this revolutionary approach for the time. In this extraordinary image, Rembrandt depects himself drawing at a window, as the light from the window seeps into the space and creates a symbolic dramatic contrast. Rembrandt's face is illuminated, but the interior of the room is cast in darkness. he created this work in 1648 at the age of forty-two, after a troubled six- year period during whic he etched no self-portraits. During that time, Rembrandt's wife Saskia died, his financial situation worsened, and his relationship with Geertge Direx, the nursemaid of his young son, Titus became troubled and later culminated in a court battle. The work clearly depects a man at maturity, contemplating his life, and suggests a wise, if not beleaguered, and experienced man who has tasted life's joys and sorrows. This was the last self portrait etched by Rembrandt. See the CoA for additional information.

Price: 4000 USD

Location: Alpharetta, Georgia

End Time: 2024-09-18T18:23:28.000Z

Shipping Cost: 150 USD