The Holy Anastasius

The present work, probably painted in 1874, is a copy after Rembrandt's painting of the same title preserved in the National Museum, Stockholm. During his first trip to Paris, in 1874, Josephson made copies of the great masters in the Louvre including Rembrandt, Rubens, Frans Hals and Velázquez, with Rembrandt seeming to hold a particular preoccupation for the artist. This same year, he traveled to Stockholm and would again turn to the great Dutch master. Winning an Academy prize in 1876 enabled Josephson to make another trip; after stopping in Copenhagen and Paris, Josephson went to Antwerp and Amsterdam where he worked again on copies after Rembrandt. Interested primarily in chiaroscuro, he made copies of Rembrandt’s self-portrait of 1629, The Night Watch, and Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild. 'For Josephson this was not simply imitation but careful preparation for the purpose of creating works with the same rich, full-toned spirit of humanity as the classical masters themselves' (E. Blomberg, Ernst Josephson, Painter, Poet, Precursor, exh. cat., Portland, OR, 1964-1965, p. 10). In 1877, Josephson painted a second copy of the Holy Anastasius which is now also conserved in the National Museum, Stockholm.