The Artist's Mother: Head only, full Face

The precise way in which it is rendered suggests that Rembrandt, seated opposite his mother, etched this portrait directly onto the plate. He modelled the face with a profusion of fine lines and the shadows cast by the headdress over her hooded features are observed with meticulous care. In the first state - of which only one impression is known - the face is where one would expect it to be in a portrait bust, towards the upper edge of the picture space. However, Rembrandt must have been dissatisfied with the result and cut the plate down. As a result, in the present second state his mother's chin appears to rest on the lower platemark. Despite the odd composition, this etching must have been in demand, since Rembrandt printed it in at least two editions. From early on, the collectors of Rembrandt's seem to have had a taste for the strange and unusual, and this tiny portrait has always been sought after.