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Lot Essay
The subject of this delicate little print is a hurdy-gurdy player, a roaming street musician, a popular subject of the Dutch Golden Age, and one of particular interest to Rembrandt, who depicted it in a number of etchings (see lot 56).
Bartsch titled the print Polander with folded Arms, paying more attention to the high cap of the man identifying him as Polish, without noticing the hurdy-gurdy. The musician, heavily dressed in rags, with his instrument tucked under his left arm, is centred and contained in an almost stamp-sized format. Much of the tiny figure is sketched with a few swift, loose lines, but Rembrandt lends the man substance and weight by finely shading him on the left. His dignified pose speaks for Rembrandt’s sympathy with the itinerant performer - people who were generally looked upon with contempt and suspicion.
The early provenance of this sheet, acquired by the renowned Parisian print dealer Pierre Mariette II in 1674, demonstrates that small, secular prints such as this humble but exquisite little etching were already collectible and sought-after, even outside Holland, only three decades after Rembrandt etched this plate.
Bartsch titled the print Polander with folded Arms, paying more attention to the high cap of the man identifying him as Polish, without noticing the hurdy-gurdy. The musician, heavily dressed in rags, with his instrument tucked under his left arm, is centred and contained in an almost stamp-sized format. Much of the tiny figure is sketched with a few swift, loose lines, but Rembrandt lends the man substance and weight by finely shading him on the left. His dignified pose speaks for Rembrandt’s sympathy with the itinerant performer - people who were generally looked upon with contempt and suspicion.
The early provenance of this sheet, acquired by the renowned Parisian print dealer Pierre Mariette II in 1674, demonstrates that small, secular prints such as this humble but exquisite little etching were already collectible and sought-after, even outside Holland, only three decades after Rembrandt etched this plate.