A man at a desk wearing a cross and chain (B., Holl. 261; H. 189)

Details

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn
A man at a desk wearing a cross and chain (B., Holl. 261; H. 189)
etching and drypoint, 1641, watermark Basilisk with pendant initials RP (cf. A. & F., p. 79, A.a.), a very fine, delicately printed impression of the second state (of four), the guidelines still printing strongly and with much burr to the background lower right, with narrow margins, in very good condition
(FPR 7)
P. 154 x 102 mm., S. 157 x 104 mm.

Provenance

H.S. Theobald (L. 1375)
Alexis H. Rouart; Gutekunst & Klipstein, Bern, 1951 (according to a note on the Blum mount)
Dr. Albert W. Blum (L. 79 b); Sotheby's, New York, 27 February 1988, lot 1256
Sotheby's, New York, 14 May 1992, lot 192

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

Until this point Rembrandt had used drypoint very rarely in his portraits, in most cases confining it to the delineation of fur. In this print, however, he experimented with its tonal effects, using it extensively to darken the background initially laid down in etching. With delicate strokes he touched up the features of the face and hair, and this particularly fine impression is notable for its silvery, ethereal quality. Although attempts have been made to identify the sitter it is most probably a genre study, using the same model as The card player (B. 136) of the same year.
Reproduced actual size

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