Abraham's Sacrifice

Details

REMBRANDT HARMENSZ. VAN RIJN (1606-1669)
Abraham's Sacrifice
etching and drypoint, 1655, on laid paper, without watermark, a fine and atmospheric impression of the only state, printing with considerable burr to the left of the logs beneath the bowl and elsewhere, with small margins on three sides, a wider margin below, in very good condition
Plate 156 x 131 mm.
Sheet 165 x 135 mm.

Provenance

Thomas Thane (1782-1846), London (Lugt 811); his sale, Sotheby's, London, 25-30 May 1846, lot 982 (with two others; 'fine impressions').
Inscribed 'Smith 2 CRA' in pencil verso.
With Craddock & Barnard, London, 1955 (according to the following); presumably acquired from Smith.
Christie's, London, 4 December 2007, lot 209 (£46,100).
A Family Collection, USA; acquired at the above sale.

Literature

Bartsch, Hollstein 35; Hind 283; New Hollstein 287

Special notice

This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.

Conditions of sale

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Lot Essay

Clearly linked in terms of size and subject, the present work can be seen as the following scene and companion piece to Abraham and Isaac (see previous lot), which the artist had etched 10 years earlier. The young Rembrandt had painted the subject of the sacrifice in 1635 (Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg) but the etched version appears more subtle in the staging. Abraham, at centre, presses Isaac's head against his side and covers his eyes with his right hand, to spare him from the sight of the knife he holds in the other hand. Isaac, kneeling helpess over a large dish, is rescued by the angel. The messenger sent by God, with his spread wings enclosing the main scene, intervenes in the exact moment when the father is about to accomplish the terrible deed. The figures are mostly rendered in outline, to stand out against the dark and tonal background. The image in essence completed in etching, and then worked up and enhanced with touches of drypoint, noticeable in the present impression in the fuzzy, velvety lines of the burr to the left of the logs beneath the bowl, in the folds of Abraham's and the Angel's garments, and in the dark background at centre left.

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