A woman at a door hatch talking to a man and children (The Schoolmaster) (B., Holl. 128; H. 192)

Details

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn
A woman at a door hatch talking to a man and children (The Schoolmaster) (B., Holl. 128; H. 192)
etching, 1641, a very good impression with good contrasts, before the re-work, with thread margins or trimmed on the platemark, occasionally just into the subject, in very good condition
(FPR 57)
P., S. 92 x 61 mm.

Provenance

Anon. sale; Christie's London, 30 November 1993, lot 166

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

This is another example of the slightly misleading titles that Rembrandt's prints have acquired over the centuries. The scene actually depicts a blind hurdy-gurdy player, which explains why the woman and children are listening with such rapt attention, and why his eyes have a sightless look about them. It is one of a number of prints in which he experimented with nocturnal scenery and the effects of light. Particularly evocative is the passage where the light, coming from a hidden source inside the house falls on the head and shoulders of the woman and catches the tip of the old man's face.
Reproduced actual size

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