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Lot Essay
The Blind Fiddler is a particularly close and personal observation of a beggar and street musician - wrapped in layers of rags and wearing loose-fitting boots, he holds a violin and bow under his chin in one hand, while gripping a dog’s leash in the other. The man’s hunched posture conveys a sense of physical strain but also adds a quiet psychological tension, which is a hallmark of Rembrandt’s human studies. The dense hatching in the folds of the fiddler’s cloak and the shadows around the violin enhance the physical weight on his body and amplifying the psychological burden of his poverty. The background and dog are rendered in comparatively minimal and fluid strokes, which add a lighter dimension to the composition. The dog seems to lead the man forward, offering a sense of gentle companionship and a tender counterpoint to the man’s solitary struggle.
This etching is part of a series of small-format prints from the 1630s that depict figures on the margins of society such as beggars, Polish soldiers ("Polanders"), a quacksalver, and other street performers like hurdy-gurdy players. A beggar with a dog is also the motif of one of Rembrandt's very earliest and rarest etchings, Seated Beggar and his Dog, circa 1629, an impression of which was also in the Josefowitz Collection (Christie’s, London, 5 December 2024, lot 47).
This etching is part of a series of small-format prints from the 1630s that depict figures on the margins of society such as beggars, Polish soldiers ("Polanders"), a quacksalver, and other street performers like hurdy-gurdy players. A beggar with a dog is also the motif of one of Rembrandt's very earliest and rarest etchings, Seated Beggar and his Dog, circa 1629, an impression of which was also in the Josefowitz Collection (Christie’s, London, 5 December 2024, lot 47).