Abraham entertaining the Angels (B., Holl. 29; H. 286)

Details

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn
Abraham entertaining the Angels (B., Holl. 29; H. 286)
etching and drypoint, 1656, a good impression with burr, with wide margins, some touches of grey wash, a short backed tear at the upper left corner just touching the platemark, a short nick at the right sheet edge, several tiny rust spots, otherwise in good condition
P. 160 x 130 mm., S. 178 x 148 mm.

Provenance

Dr. F. A. Lieberg (L. 1681); Galerie Kornfeld, Bern, 21 June 1979, lot 11, SF 26,000.

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Lot Essay

The narrative concerns a prophecy delivered by three angels to Abraham that his wife Sarah would soon give birth to a son, despite them both being 'old and well-stricken with age.' Rembrandt has changed the usual setting of the encounter from a tent to a rather substantial and comfortable looking house, copying the arrangement of the figures from a Mughal miniature showing four dervishes sitting under a tree. The winged angels retain something of their oriental origins, and have a touching home-spun quality about them - Rembrandt is clearly interested in depicting the encounter in human terms.

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