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Lot Essay
The Flight into Egypt: A Sketch (Joseph leading the Ass) is a reduced fragment of a plate from one of Rembrandt’s earliest etchings, The Flight into Egypt, of which only two complete impressions are known. A popular subject, the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt is recounted in a brief passage in Matthew 2:12-14. Awoken from a prophetic dream warning Joseph of the Massacre of the Innocents and King Herod's intention to kill the infant Christ, Joseph departs in the middle of the night with Mary and Jesus to seek safety. Rembrandt traditionally sets this scene within a forest, loosely sketched trees loom above Mary and Joseph and the dense forest is indicated by a series of dark diagonal hatched lines. In this early etching, Rembrandt is clearly experimenting with the technique. He etches onto the copper plate as if he were drawing, resulting in a very sketchy image comprising of many rapid strokes.
Dissatisfied with the print, Rembrandt cut up the plate. One section was repurposed for a small self-portrait (B. 5; New Holl, 13), while the present etching preserves the figure of Joseph leading the ass. Rembrandt reworked this plate numerous times, including additional hatching in successive states. In the present impression, Joseph’s left side is rendered with dense etched lines, casting this side of his body into shadow and darkness, while the unworked area of his back is illuminated by the light plate tone.
In the original, large composition, Rembrandt emphasised the ordinariness of the scene, a heavy-laden tired family on a journey, and in doing so connects the story with a universal human experience. Mary and Joseph are depicted with such simplicity that when Edmé-François Gersaint published his catalogue of Rembrandt’s etchings in 1751, he mistakenly classified this small plate of a walking figure under the beggars category. This was soon corrected, and the figure has since been recognised as Joseph, a fragment from Rembrandt’s early Flight into Egypt.
Disappointed with his first etched depiction of the subject, Rembrandt re-visited the theme multiple times throughout his career, including eight etchings of the Flight into Egypt (see lots 39 & 40) and the Rest on the Flight. Each differs significantly in style, composition and format, reflecting his evolving approach to narrative and technique.
Dissatisfied with the print, Rembrandt cut up the plate. One section was repurposed for a small self-portrait (B. 5; New Holl, 13), while the present etching preserves the figure of Joseph leading the ass. Rembrandt reworked this plate numerous times, including additional hatching in successive states. In the present impression, Joseph’s left side is rendered with dense etched lines, casting this side of his body into shadow and darkness, while the unworked area of his back is illuminated by the light plate tone.
In the original, large composition, Rembrandt emphasised the ordinariness of the scene, a heavy-laden tired family on a journey, and in doing so connects the story with a universal human experience. Mary and Joseph are depicted with such simplicity that when Edmé-François Gersaint published his catalogue of Rembrandt’s etchings in 1751, he mistakenly classified this small plate of a walking figure under the beggars category. This was soon corrected, and the figure has since been recognised as Joseph, a fragment from Rembrandt’s early Flight into Egypt.
Disappointed with his first etched depiction of the subject, Rembrandt re-visited the theme multiple times throughout his career, including eight etchings of the Flight into Egypt (see lots 39 & 40) and the Rest on the Flight. Each differs significantly in style, composition and format, reflecting his evolving approach to narrative and technique.