The Angel appearing to the Shepherds (B., Holl. 44; H. 120)

Details

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn
The Angel appearing to the Shepherds (B., Holl. 44; H. 120)
etching with drypoint and engraving, 1634, third, final state, a good impression, the bridge and landscape beyond before the final re-work, Watermark Seven Provinces (A. and F. 34), trimmed on or just inside the platemark but retaining a fillet of blank paper outside the subject, with a small, pale waterstain at the upper left, visible on the reverse, otherwise in very good condition
P., S. 263 x 222 mm.

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Lot Essay

This is Rembrandt's first etched nocturne, and it was to have far-reaching consequences for his later work, especially in the 1640's when he frequently combined etching, drypoint and engraved lines to create velvety lines that mimicked mezzotint. Technically it was a watershed as it took the pictorial possibilities of etching to their limit.

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