The Small Lion Hunt (with one Lion) (B., Holl. 116; H. 6)

Details

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn
The Small Lion Hunt (with one Lion) (B., Holl. 116; H. 6)
etching, 1629, a very good impression, with thread margins, a few small, soft creases, a thin spot on the reverse at the upper right sheet corner, minor defects on the sheet corners verso where previously mounted, otherwise in good condition
P., S. 154 x 120 mm.

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Lot Essay

The composition is probably based on an etching by Antonio Tempesta, and we know that Rembrandt owned four volumes of his prints. He simplified the arrangement of the figures and increased the sense of drama by using strong chiaroscuro without intermediate tones. Rough, vigorous shading has been added to convey the effects of light, but with almost no consideration for modelling. In many respects it exhibits the impatience of a young man who has picked up a good hint from an older artist but who is then carried away by his own vision. Though the result is undoubtedly crude both in execution and technique, it has, together with the two other lion hunts, the merit of spontaneity.

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