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Lot Essay
Complete copies of Manasseh ben Israel’s mystical text Piedra Gloriosa (Amsterdam, 1655) published by the author in Spanish, are extremely rare. Only six examples containing all four illustrations by Rembrandt are known, including one in the Lugt Collection in Paris. It seems that not all copies of the book even included Rembrandt's prints, as in the few known examples, his prints are inconsistently bound into the volumes, as if by demand. To have three of the prints in a single collection, as offered here, is a rare occurrence (see also lots 26 & 27).
The fourth and final illustration for the book depicts the prophetic vision from the Book of Daniel (7:1-14), in which four beasts rise from the sea, each representing a successive empire before the coming of the Messiah. Manasseh ben Israel interpreted this apocalyptic imagery as a prelude to the redemption and divine justice. Rembrandt’s composition is densely layered, with the monstrous creatures emerging from turbulent waters under a dark sky, above which Daniel stands before the celestial vision of God the Father and the Heavenly Host.
It is interesting to note that subsequent issues of the book included not Rembrandt's own prints, but engraved copies by Salomon Italia. In the print replacing the present original etching, the engraver omitted the depiction of God, which the Jewish faith forbids, with a blank halo.
The fourth and final illustration for the book depicts the prophetic vision from the Book of Daniel (7:1-14), in which four beasts rise from the sea, each representing a successive empire before the coming of the Messiah. Manasseh ben Israel interpreted this apocalyptic imagery as a prelude to the redemption and divine justice. Rembrandt’s composition is densely layered, with the monstrous creatures emerging from turbulent waters under a dark sky, above which Daniel stands before the celestial vision of God the Father and the Heavenly Host.
It is interesting to note that subsequent issues of the book included not Rembrandt's own prints, but engraved copies by Salomon Italia. In the print replacing the present original etching, the engraver omitted the depiction of God, which the Jewish faith forbids, with a blank halo.