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拍品專文
The portrait of Thomas Haaringh has always been considered one of the finest portraits of Rembrandt's printed oeuvre and early examples are great rarities. The present sheet is remarkable not only for its printing quality, but also for the fact that it has some small, but wilful touches in pen and ink to the chair's backposts and left armrest, which may well be by Rembrandt himself. Nick Stogdon, having also consulted with the scholar of Rembrandt's drawings, Martin Royalton-Kisch, concluded that these additions 'are certainly in keeping with his manner at this period, and whereas of course it is impossible to prove this, they would make sense; the lion finials are, as printed, somewhat puny, and the putative change to the arm would correct the slightly faulty perspective.' (Stogdon, p. 202)
This impression certainly attracted the attention of some of the greatest collectors of Rembrandt's prints from the 18th century onwards, despite it being trimmed closely to or fractionally within the subject: the added margins have been integral to the sheet at least since the Earl of Aylesford acquired around 1815. The rich burr, so crucial for this image, cleanly wiped highlights and the resulting intensity of contrasts on display here must have persuaded each one in this long and prestigious line of previous owners that this was a sheet worth having.
Since 1617 until his death, Thomas Jacobsz Haaringh (circa 1586-1660), was the Concierge or chief administrator of the Amsterdam Town Hall, a post which included responsibilities as Bailiff to the Court of Insolvents. It was in this role that he was in charge of the bankruptcy proceedings and sales of Rembrandt’s possessions following his bankruptcy in 1656. Prior to his declaration of insolvency in 1656, Rembrandt had tried to raise some funds by holding an auction of objects from his collection in 1655 at the Keizerskron pub in Amsterdam. It was Thomas Haaringh’s younger cousin Pieter who acted as the auctioneer (see lot 19). We can assume that Rembrandt had already known the Haaringhs before his financial difficulties caught up with him, especially the older, Thomas, who was a collector of drawings and prints. It is however unlikely to be a coincidence that Rembrandt produced a printed portrait of both of them in the year 1655, as it became increasingly clear that he was unable to repay his debts on the house in Sint Anthoniesstraat. Perhaps he wanted to ingratiate himself to the two men who were to have a significant influence on his pecuniary circumstances, perhaps he simply struck up a friendship with them. It is also possible that they themselves commissioned these portrait prints as a last, friendly gesture to provide some income for the artist.
Whatever the circumstances of the creation of this portrait, Rembrandt decided to execute it almost entirely in drypoint, and it would have been clear to him that the plate could never be printed in great numbers (see Althaus, 2005, no. 91, p. 212). It seems therefore very likely that this portrait was a personal tribute or commission, pulled only in a few impressions to be given to the sitter, some friends and collectors. This is corroborated by the rarity of the ‘Old Haaringh’, which in early impressions is almost unobtainable. The first two states exist in only one impression each, both on Japan paper (Albertina, Vienna; and Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris), while the present third and final state is known in approximately thirty examples, most of which are in public collections. For another - and very different! - impression of the third state, printed on vellum, please see the following lot. Remarkably, both prints have coexisted not just in the Josefowitz Collection but also share the Hawkins and Buccleuch provenances.
This impression certainly attracted the attention of some of the greatest collectors of Rembrandt's prints from the 18th century onwards, despite it being trimmed closely to or fractionally within the subject: the added margins have been integral to the sheet at least since the Earl of Aylesford acquired around 1815. The rich burr, so crucial for this image, cleanly wiped highlights and the resulting intensity of contrasts on display here must have persuaded each one in this long and prestigious line of previous owners that this was a sheet worth having.
Since 1617 until his death, Thomas Jacobsz Haaringh (circa 1586-1660), was the Concierge or chief administrator of the Amsterdam Town Hall, a post which included responsibilities as Bailiff to the Court of Insolvents. It was in this role that he was in charge of the bankruptcy proceedings and sales of Rembrandt’s possessions following his bankruptcy in 1656. Prior to his declaration of insolvency in 1656, Rembrandt had tried to raise some funds by holding an auction of objects from his collection in 1655 at the Keizerskron pub in Amsterdam. It was Thomas Haaringh’s younger cousin Pieter who acted as the auctioneer (see lot 19). We can assume that Rembrandt had already known the Haaringhs before his financial difficulties caught up with him, especially the older, Thomas, who was a collector of drawings and prints. It is however unlikely to be a coincidence that Rembrandt produced a printed portrait of both of them in the year 1655, as it became increasingly clear that he was unable to repay his debts on the house in Sint Anthoniesstraat. Perhaps he wanted to ingratiate himself to the two men who were to have a significant influence on his pecuniary circumstances, perhaps he simply struck up a friendship with them. It is also possible that they themselves commissioned these portrait prints as a last, friendly gesture to provide some income for the artist.
Whatever the circumstances of the creation of this portrait, Rembrandt decided to execute it almost entirely in drypoint, and it would have been clear to him that the plate could never be printed in great numbers (see Althaus, 2005, no. 91, p. 212). It seems therefore very likely that this portrait was a personal tribute or commission, pulled only in a few impressions to be given to the sitter, some friends and collectors. This is corroborated by the rarity of the ‘Old Haaringh’, which in early impressions is almost unobtainable. The first two states exist in only one impression each, both on Japan paper (Albertina, Vienna; and Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris), while the present third and final state is known in approximately thirty examples, most of which are in public collections. For another - and very different! - impression of the third state, printed on vellum, please see the following lot. Remarkably, both prints have coexisted not just in the Josefowitz Collection but also share the Hawkins and Buccleuch provenances.