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Lot Essay
This print was previously thought to have been one half of a larger plate, with Canal with a Boat and a Bridge (B. 236; New Holl. 252) as the other half. Although the motifs are similar, they do not join up and the perspective differs in each print. There is however a close relationship between these two prints in terms of size and subject, and they may well have been companion pieces. In the way Rembrandt here combined a typically Dutch scenery with a precipitous mountainous landscape in the distance, the Canal with an Angler and two Swans also bears strong similarities with other prints of this period, including the slightly larger Landscape with Sportsman and Dog (see lot 37) of 1648 and the Landscape with a Cow drinking (see lot 41) of 1650.
The craggy hills in the background with a monumental, possibly ruined building looming over the village below adds a certain grandeur to an otherwise profoundly humble and peaceful little scene. Especially the small narrative details - the angler and a child sitting by the edge of the little lagoon or lake, the two swans (or possibly geese?), a standing figure and some cows in the field, and what appears to be a second angler in a small boat amongst the reeds at left - are executed in a swift, almost cursory manner. They serve to enliven the landscape, which is more methodically and solidly drawn. Despite the imaginary mountains in the background, Rembrandt presents the viewer here with a very balanced and pared-down view, without introducing any picturesque elements such as a gnarly tree or curious building in the foreground, and precisely therein lies the quiet appeal of this rare print.
The craggy hills in the background with a monumental, possibly ruined building looming over the village below adds a certain grandeur to an otherwise profoundly humble and peaceful little scene. Especially the small narrative details - the angler and a child sitting by the edge of the little lagoon or lake, the two swans (or possibly geese?), a standing figure and some cows in the field, and what appears to be a second angler in a small boat amongst the reeds at left - are executed in a swift, almost cursory manner. They serve to enliven the landscape, which is more methodically and solidly drawn. Despite the imaginary mountains in the background, Rembrandt presents the viewer here with a very balanced and pared-down view, without introducing any picturesque elements such as a gnarly tree or curious building in the foreground, and precisely therein lies the quiet appeal of this rare print.