Not signed, not dated.  The copperplate appeared in the sale by Clement De Jonghe (1679) as ’33 practiseerende alchimist’. It was acquired by an unknown person who added two dots. It later appeared in the sale by Pieter de Haan (1767, lot 63) and was sold for Fl 6,00 via Fouquet to Claude-Henri Watelet (1786). It then became part of the set of plates subsequently owned and used for printing Recueils by Pierre-François Basan, Henri-Louis Basan (his nr 1434), Auguste Jean (ca 1809), Veuve Jean, Auguste and Michel Bernard (1846) and Robert Lee Humber (1937). It was sold at the Artemis sale in London (1993) where bought by the Ritman Collection in Amsterdam. It was later on sale with Douwes Fine Arts in Amsterdam (2025).

One of the most debated and fascinating etchings. The explanation of the meaning of the picture has varied substantially over the years. The print was initially called Practiserende Alchemist (Practising Alchemist) by Clement de Jonghe in 1679. Valerie Röver changed the title to Dr.Faustus in 1731. The latter has remained in force since then. It could have been inspired by Christofer Marlowe’s play Tragical History of Dr. Faustus, as it was staged in Amsterdam in 1650. These titles do little to explain the Jewish text in the circle in the window. Lyckle de Vries (in 1998) suggested that the picture refers to Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians in which the perfect divine knowledge is compared to the limited human knowledge. Only by looking in a mirror (the circle with the letters INRI, an acronym for Jesus Christ) can humans start to understand the divine wisdom.
Van de Waal suggested in 1968 that the man is Faustus Socinus (1539-1604), the Polish founder of the Socinianic movement. At the time Rembrandt made this print, their religious points-of-view were heavily under attack.
Gerda Hoekveld-Meijer suggested in 2005 that the scholar is in fact Samuel Przypkowski (1592-1670) a Socinianic follower who preached the strict separation of state and church.

Wolfgang Wegner pointed at similarities with the engraved title-page of a book on magical practices, published in 1651 (WB).
Hoekveld-Meijer thinks a woodcut by Lucas Cranach of 1529, showing Luther as the apostle Matthew, served as an example.

NH lists six copies of which three in the same direction. Copy A is by George Bickham (208 x 158 mm). Copy E is anonymous (204 x 156 mm). Copy F is a wood engraving by Antoine Piaud (69 x 60 mm).
There are also three copies in reverse Copy B is by Claude Henri Watelet (213 x 185 mm). Copy C is signed Johann Lips and included in Goethe 1790 (109 x 66 mm). Copy D is signed John Burnet and inscribed Rembrandt | Printed by W.Day (204 x 162 mm).

The etching is considered as special by Coppier and Wilson.

NH lists seven states, only the first by Rembrandt. The 2nd and 4th state are ‘new’. Most other authors list three states, Nowell-Usticke seven, from his 2nd state there are later impressions by Watelet, P.Basan, Basan, Jean, Bernard and Beaumont.
In the 1st state (NH, WB, NU, R698) the upright book at right is shaded with open diagonals.
In the 2nd state (NH only) two dots are added in the lower right corner.
In the 3rd state (NH/2nd state WB, R699, NU Watelet?) shading is added, mainly with the mezzotint rocker, in several places, like the pile of books\, the sitter’s neck, cap, cloak and right hand\ (NH). There is a patch of left-to-right shading at the bottom rear of Faust’s cap. Much new work is added in drypoint, trying to imitate burr, on the neck, the folds of the gown, etc. (NU)
In the 4th state (NH only) the folds on the left lapel of the robe are extended downwards by fine shading. Fine shading (from lower left to upper right) is added to the ledge below the skull. All with the rocker.
In the 5th state (NH/3rd state WB final, R700, NU Watelet?) a triangular piece of shading is added to the book at right. Many more lines are added (NH).
NU notes little difference between an early 3rd state and a 1st state, but in later impressions of this state the plate is badly worn.
In the 6th state (NH/4th state NU Watelet?, P.Basan, H.Basan) the beam of light on Faust’s face is divided in two parts\.
In the 7th state (NH/6th state NU Jean) the plate is entirely reworked by the graver and roulette. Faust now looks like a young man.
In the 7th state (NU Bernard, Beaumont) the top is reworked with cross-hatching (not mentioned in NH). Hinterding considers the 3rd and 4th state as repair states. Both are, considering their watermarks, not by Rembrandt (HD). The fact that many impressions of the 2nd state are on Japanese paper only confirms the practice by many later printers to honour Rembrandts preference for oriental paper.

There are impressions of the 1st state on grey oatmeal paper, one of which was sold at Sotheby’s London in March 2010 for £ 125.000.
NH lists 44 impressions of the 1st state, many on Japanese paper but also at least four editions on western paper.
Nowell-Usticke considers the impressions in the Recueil de Basan, to be good.

In the 1st state: Arms; IHS; Strasbourg bend (1653);
In the 2nd state: Seven Provinces (> 1665);
In the 3rd state: Strasbourg lily;
In the 4th state: Arms; Countermark DI; Strasbourg bend; Strasbourg lily (2 ed.); In the 5th state: Arms of Colbert (2 ed.); Countermark PB;

H 260, BB 52-4, G 250, M 291, Mz 275, RA 698-701, Cl 267, W 272, Bl 84, Du 259, CD 215, S 111.
Hoekveld-Meijer 2005, p. 138-147; Hinterding 2006, p. 149-151; De ‘joodse’ Rembrandt 2006, p. 50-51; Hinterding 2008, p. 475 ff; Late Rembrandt 2015, p. 191;

NH: 1st state of VII/WB: 1st state of III.
Sheet: 210/211 x 161 mm, almost no margins, trimmed on the platemark at the top (+1%). The two dots in the lower right corner, typical for the 2nd state, as well as all adaptions of the 3rd state, are missing, confirming the 1st state.
Watermark: IHS with initials GD (Hinterding Bf), dated 1652. According to a certificate by Hinterding, this mark is similar to those in the Louvre and in the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum in Braunsweig. Vertical chain lines at approx. 26 mm.

Rembrandt, de fotograaf, Westfries Museum (Hoorn), June 2024 – January 2025;