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Menasseh ben Israel

Written by Jaap Mulders on . Posted in Catalogue #21, Portraits of men, Rembrandt in black & white.

Samuel Menasseh ben Israel was a Rabbi of the Portuguese synagogue in Amsterdam. He lived near Rembrandt in the Breestraat and was probably a friend patron of Rembrandt. He commissioned four etched illustrations for his book *La Piedra Gloriosa* (see B36). Apart from being a rabbi, Ben Israel was a publisher and served as a diplomat. He died in 1657 at Middelburg, returning from a mission to Cromwell in England. Recently the identification as Ben Israel, introduced separately by both Gersaint in 1751 and de Burgy in 1755, has been doubted. Suggested alternatives are Rabbi Saul Levi Morteira (by Dubiez in 1992), Nicolaes de Rye (by Roscam Abbing in 1999) and Samuel Smijters (by Dickey in 2004). So far, their arguments have not convinced others.

Catalogue #21, Portraits of men, Rembrandt in black & white

Jan Cornelis Sylvius

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Johannes Sylvius (1564-1638) was a preacher, first in Sloten (1604) and since 1621 in the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam. He was friend and family of Rembrandt by his marriage to a niece of Saskia, Aeltje Uylenburgh. In 1632 Rembrandt made a painting of Aeltje at the age of 62 (Bredius 333, collection Rose-Marie and Eijk de Mol van Otterloo, Boston). At the ondertrouw, a pre-wedding ceremony, on 10 June 1634 in the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam, it was Sylvius who represented the bride. He also baptized the first two of Rembrandt’s children, Rombartus in 1635 and Cornelia in 1638.

Catalogue #21, Portraits of men, Rembrandt in black & white

Jan Antonides van der Linden

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This is the last etching made by Rembrandt, just four years before his death. Van der Linden was a friend of Nicolaas Tulp. He became a professor of Medicine in Leyden in 1651 and died in 1664. Shortly after his death Rembrandt was asked by publisher Daniel van Gaesbeecq to make a portrait as the frontispiece for Van der Linden’s edition of Hippocrates. However, it was never used for that purpose, possibly because the contract, negotiated by Rembrandt’s son Titus, called for an engraving instead of an etching. After the trial prints the plate was too worn to be used for printing a book. Van der Linden initially lived in Franeker where he presented the town a Botanical Garden. It may be the reason Rembrandt pictured plants in the background.

Catalogue #21, Portraits of men, Rembrandt in black & white

Man at a desk, wearing cross and chain

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There were two so far unidentified items in the inventory of De Jonghe (1679) which may refer to this etching, namely nr 45 Smyters and nr 23 Raetsheer van sijn majestijt in Poolen. Based on the titles it has been suggested that the sitter is Antonie Smijters, then the Dutch Ambassador in Poland or Nicolaes de Bye, a trader. But, instead of picturing a particular person, this portrait may in fact be a ‘tronie’, as the man is dressed in 16th century clothing, clearly out-of-fashion at the time Rembrandt made the etching. Also, the same man appears in The card player (B136 – NH193), and maybe even in Man drawing from a cast (B130/NH192). All three were made in the same year, which is another indication that the sitter is indeed a model.

Catalogue #21, Portraits of men, Rembrandt in black & white

Old man with beard, fur cap & velvet cloak

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The clumsy way in which the hand is drawn indicates an early work. Middleton has suggested that the print is a pendant of B 343 The artist’s mother seated at a table, because of the similarities in size, style and signature. This assumption is supported by watermark research (HD). The sitter could therefore be Rembrandt’s father, although he died in 1630, whereas this plate is dated by most experts in 1632.

Catalogue #21, Portraits of men, Rembrandt in black & white

Bearded man, in a oriental fur cab and robe

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It is generally assumed that the sitter is either Rembrandt´s father or his brother. There is definitely a likeliness with a painting which is called ‘Rembrandt´s Father’ in the Staatliche Museen in Sloss Wilhelmshöhe (Kassel), but both the correctness of the title and the attribution to Rembrandt are disputed. There are also similarities, like oriental costumes and the clumsy way of handling the burin, with the way Rembrandt has portrayed his mother the same year in The artist’s mother seated, in an oriental headdress (B 348/NHD 86). The idea that these two are pendants is supported by watermarks that show they were both printed on the same paper, at the same moment. J. Veth has suggested that the listed painting shows Rembrandts older brother Gerrit, who died in September 1631.

Catalogue #21, Portraits of men, Rembrandt in black & white

Bust of an old bearded man, looking down

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In the early ‘30’s Rembrandt made several drawings and etchings of old men, often with long beards. It is generally assumed that he made these portraits as an exercise for the larger paintings in which many individuals are included. This particular man for instance is supposed to be recognized in two paintings. The problem is that these paintings were made a year before the etching, that one is lost and one no longer attributed to Rembrandt. Maybe this man was a model for Rembrandt’s pupils a well.

Catalogue #21, Portraits of men, Rembrandt in black & white

Man in an arbour

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The picture shows a, so far unidentified, man leaning on a balustrade, pointing his right arm to what seems to be a row of books in the background. According to Fritz Saxl (1910) the pose of the sitter resembles the pose in Rembrandt leaning on a stone sill (B 21), which is clearly influenced by Castiglione. This supports the idea that it could be a self-portrait, as suggested by Nowell-Usticke. But his suggestion is not followed by other authors.

Catalogue #21, Portraits of men, Rembrandt in black & white

A peasant calling out: ‘Tis vinnich kout’

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These etchings are unique in the work of Rembrandt, not only because the two clearly are meant as a pair, but also because it is the only occasion that a text is added by Rembrandt himself. Another peculiarity is the fact that the two subjects are not facing each other, but are back-to-back. It is probably one of the few moments where Rembrandt did not take the effect of the reversal into account, since he started to make impressions in which the men are facing each other (178 on the left, 177 on the right side) with the ‘wrong’ sequence of the text as a result. In the catalogue of the de Burgy sale in 1755 the pair was listed as De Twé Schurkjes (The two Rogues). The skater in the background leaves no doubt about the time of the year in which the scene is placed. The long stick in the skaters hand can also be seen in The Skater (B156). It is meant to serve as a live-saving tool in case of a hole in the ice.

Beggars, Catalogue #21, Rembrandt in black & white

Beggar seated warming his hands at a chafing dish

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In the De Burgy sale (1755) this plate was referred to as Een oud Man, zittende zig te warmen over een Tesje met Vuur en een Knapzak byzich (An old man sitting and warming himself over a fire pan with fire and a knapsack with him). Around 1630 Rembrandt etched a series of beggars. It is generally assumed that he was inspired by a series of beggars made by Callot in 1622. He copied the long parallel lines Callot used to indicate shadows.

Beggars, Catalogue #21, Rembrandt in black & white

Seated beggar with his dog

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This etching belongs to the series of beggars and street folk that Rembrandt made around 1630 inspired by a similar series made by Callot in 1622. It shows an old man with his dog beside him. It is obviously an beggar, with the hole is his trousers and bare left foot. It may also be a leper, since it seems that a rattle is hanging under his left knee. An instrument that lepers were obliged to bear with them, warning by-passers of the infectious disease. The man is warming his hands in a similar way as shown in Bartsch 173 (NHD 44).

Beggars, Catalogue #21

Ragged peasant with his hands behind him, holding a stick

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A somewhat older man, leaning his body and face a bit to the left, staring at a spot on the ground. He has his hands folded behind his back, holding what seems to be a long wooden stick. His jacket, closed with one button high on his belly, has a large lapel on the left side. Underneath the jacket a vest is visible. He wears a belt from which a knife is hanging. The unshaven face is covered with a hat with flaps over his ears. There are long stretches of an unknown fabric running from the flaps to his shoulders. The light comes from the left foreground, quite unusual in Rembrandt’s etchings. It leaves a long shadow behind the man.

Beggars, Catalogue #21, Rembrandt in black & white

Beggar woman leaning on a stick

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After many years Rembrandt returns to the subject of beggars, of which he made so many etchings in the period between 1628 and 1631. But in this etching the expression is much finer and deeper. Rembrandt probably used edging pens with different sizes to achieve variety in the lines. Hinterding points at the technical problems Rembrandt faced, since the thin etching lines are ‘overshadowed’ by burr resulting from the drypoint rework.

Beggars, Catalogue #21, Rembrandt in black & white

Old beggar woman with a gourd

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In the catalogue of the De Burgy sale of 1755 this print was referred to as Een oude bedelares met een kruikje, van agteren (An Old Beggar Woman with a jug, from behind). This etching is part of the series of beggars Rembrandt etched around 1630. It is generally assumed that he was inspired by a series of beggars made by Callot in 1622. He copied the long parallel lines Callot used to indicate shadows. In turn, Rembrandt’s work has inspired many others, like Quast, Savery, van Vliet, van Schendel and Bloemaert, to produce series of beggars and other ‘street folk’.

Beggars, Catalogue #21, Rembrandt in black & white

Beggar with a stick, walking to the left

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Around 1630 Rembrandt etched a series of beggars. It is generally assumed that he was inspired by a series of beggars made by Callot in 1622. He copied the long parallel lines Callot used to indicate shadows. In turn, Rembrandt’s work has inspired many others, like Quast, Savery, van Vliet, van Schendel and Bloemaert, to produce series of beggars and other ‘street types’.

Beggars, Catalogue #21, Rembrandt in black & white

Beggar leaning on a stick, facing left

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This rare print is part of a series of beggars and street folk Rembrandt etched around 1630. He may have just been inspired by the scenes of everyday life that surrounded him, it may also be meant as practice for the many figures he used in the genre scenes he started making some years later. There is no doubt that he was inspired by the work of Jacques Callot, of which he owned various albums. Callot was the first artist to draw ‘ordinary’ people.

Beggars, Catalogue #21, Rembrandt in black & white

Beggar man and woman behind a bank

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This is the first etching of which Rembrandt himself made a lot of different states, each time making quite small improvements. Hinterding concludes that these minute changes indicate a certain inexperience and uncertainty. The later states must have been made to repair the wear, which would indicate a large number of impressions, whereas only very few seem to have survived. The butt on the left is probably meant to cover up remains of earlier use of the plate.

Beggars, Catalogue #21, Rembrandt in black & white

Beggar in a high cap, standing and leaning on a stick

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This very rare etching clearly shows that Rembrandt was inspired by a series of beggars made by Jacques Callot in 1622. Rembrandt had various albums with works by Callot in his possession. Typical elements of his works are the long parallel lines to indicate shadows. Callot made a very similar etching of a beggar, Standing beggar with stick, which Rembrandt may have used as an example. It is by far the largest of all beggar-etchings made by Rembrandt.

Beggars, Catalogue #21, Rembrandt in black & white

Beggar in a long cloak sitting in an armchair

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Around 1630 Rembrandt etched a series of beggars. It is generally assumed that he was inspired by a series of beggars made around 1622 by Jacques Callot (1592-1635). He copied the long parallel lines Callot used to indicate shadows. In turn, Rembrandt’s work has inspired many others, like Quast, Savery, van Vliet, van Schendel and Bloemaert, to produce series of beggars and other ‘street types’. Rembrandt probably used an old plate for this etching since many small spots and scratches are visible.

Beggars, Catalogue #21

Woman with a high headdress wrapped around the chin

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A most remarkable portrait, not least because the plate is only partially etched. Hinterding has suggested that Rembrandt may have used a coating in the ‘untouched’ areas, after the drawing was completed. The identity of the woman is not known, it is certainly not Rembrandts’ mother. Six has suggested that it is the same woman as in *Bust of an old woman in a fur-trimmed coat* (B355). The large number of copies proofs that the plate must have been popular in early years.

Catalogue #21, Portraits of women, Rembrandt in black & white

The white negress

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This etching is quite different from all other etchings. The face of the woman seems much too white for a woman with such clear African looks. This may be due to a technical error. But it has also been suggested that the model was in fact an albino. The etching was known as *Het Moorinnetje* (The Mooress) in the catalogue of the De Burgy sale (1755, nrs 110-111).

Catalogue #21, Portraits of women, Rembrandt in black & white

The artist’s mother; head and bust, three-quarters right

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Rembrandt’s mother, Neeltgen van Zuytbrouck, was born c. 1568 in Noordwijk. She married to Harmen Gerritzn van Rijn on 8 October 1589. She got ten children, of which Rembrandt was the youngest. She died in 1640 in Leiden. Although there is no certainty about her identity, it seems that Rembrandt has pictured this model in at least six etchings and several paintings. The reference to Rembrandt’s mother dates to the inventory-list of Clemens de Jonghe of 1679, ten years after Rembrandt’s death. Since the same model appears in several works by Jan Lievens, Rembrandt’s companion during his early years in Leiden, it has been suggested that she could also be Lievens’ grandmother, who was around sixty at that time.

Catalogue #21, Portraits of women, Rembrandt in black & white

Bust of an old woman in furred cloak and heavy headdress

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It could well be that Rembrandt’s mother is pictured here, although the woman shows some resemblance with other models used by Rembrandt, like in ‘Woman with a high headdress wrapped around the chin’ (B 358 – NHD 58), dated a year later. From the only impression of the 1st state we know that Rembrandt has first drawn the head, using very short lines and dots. He then added the torso, using the veil as the connection between head and body.

Catalogue #21, Portraits of women

Girl with a basket

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In the catalogue of the De Burgy sale (1755) this etching was referred to as *Het boerinnetje, met een Korfje aan den Arm en een Tasje op Zyde* (The peasant girl with a basket on her arm and a bag at her side), which is exactly what we think to see. But closer examination of the clothes reveals that these are in fact German dating back to the middle ages. They were long out-of-date in Rembrandt’s time, but still used in Germany.

Catalogue #21, Portraits of women, Rembrandt in black & white

Rembrandt’s mother; head only; full face

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Rembrandt’s mother, Neeltgen van Zuytbrouck, died in 1640. Although there is no certainty about her identity, it seems that Rembrandt has pictured this model in at least six etchings and several paintings. The reference to Rembrandt’s mother dates to the inventory-list of Clemens de Jonghe of 1679, ten years after Rembrandt’s death. Since the same model appears in several works by Jan Lievens, Rembrandt’s companion during his training in Leiden, it has been suggested that she could also be Lievens’ grandmother, who was around sixty at that time.

Catalogue #21, Portraits of women

Rembrandt’s mother in a cloth headdress

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Rembrandt’s mother, Neeltgen Willemsdochter van Zuytbrouck, (ca. 1568 – 1640) was ca. 65 years old at the time Rembrandt made this portrait, a tender study of old age. Although there is no certainty about her identity, it seems that Rembrandt has pictured this model in at least six etchings and several paintings. The reference to Rembrandt’s mother dates to the inventory-list of Clemens de Jonghe of 1679, ten years after Rembrandt’s death. Since the same model appears in several works by Jan Lievens, Rembrandt’s companion during his training in Leiden, it has been suggested that she could also be Lievens’ grandmother, who was around sixty at that time. From the only impression of the 1st state, which was drawn from a larger plate, it derives that Rembrandt originally intended to add at least part of the body.

Catalogue #21, Portraits of women, Rembrandt in black & white

Old woman sleeping

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This striking little portrait of a woman sleeping over her book seems to be another model than the woman Rembrandt used in many other etchings, generally assumed to be his mother.
Until late in the 18th century the person seen here was identified as a man, as the title in the De Burgy catalogue (1755) stated Het Slaapend Mannetje op een Boek, met de Bril (The sleeping man with book and spectacles). Adam von Bartsch finally, in 1797, placed this print in the correct category as a sleeping woman.

Catalogue #21, Portraits of women, Rembrandt in black & white

The artist’s mother with her hands on her chest

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Rembrandt’s mother, Neeltgen Willemsdochter van Zuytbrouck, was born c. 1568 in Noordwijk. She married to Harmen Gerritzn van Rijn on 8 October 1589. She got ten children, of which Rembrandt was the youngest. She died in 1640 in Leiden. Although there is no certainty about her identity, it seems that Rembrandt has pictured this model in at least six etchings and several paintings. The reference to Rembrandt’s mother dates to the inventory-list of Clemens de Jonghe of 1679, in which a plate named *Seated old woman* was referred to as being Rembrandts mother. Since the same model appears in several works by Jan Lievens, Rembrandt’s companion during his training in Leiden, it has been suggested that she could also be Lievens’ grandmother, who was around sixty at that time.

Catalogue #21, Portraits of women

The artist’s mother seated, in an oriental headdress

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This etching may well be a pendant to *Man with beard and Oriental headdress* (B 263) which is generally assumed to represent Rembrandt’s father and dates from the same year. Rembrandt’s mother, Neeltgen van Zuytbrouck, was born c. 1568 in Noordwijk. She married to Harmen Gerritzn van Rijn on 8 October 1589. She got ten children, of which Rembrandt was the youngest. She died in 1640 in Leiden. Although there is no certainty about her identity, it seems that Rembrandt has pictured this model in at least six etchings and several paintings. The reference to Rembrandt’s mother dates to the inventory-list of Clemens de Jonghe of 1679, ten years after Rembrandt’s death. Since the same model appears in several works by Jan Lievens, Rembrandt’s companion during his training in Leiden, it has been suggested that she could also be Lievens’ grandmother, who was around sixty at that time.

Catalogue #21, Portraits of women, Rembrandt in black & white

Saskia with pearls in her hair

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It took some time for experts to recognise the woman as Saskia. In the catalogue of the De Burgy sale in 1755 (nr 100) this print was still referred to as *Een gepaleerd Juffertje, met Peerlen in ‘t Hair* (A well-dressed young lady, with pearls in her hair). First Daulby (in 1796) and then Michel a hundred years later saw the likeness to other paintings and etchings in which Rembrandt pictured his wife.

Catalogue #21, Portraits of women, Rembrandt in black & white

The artist’s mother seated at a table, looking right

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Rembrandt’s mother, Neeltgen van Zuytbrouck, was born ca. 1568 in Noordwijk. She married to Harmen Gerritzn van Rijn on 8 October 1589. She got ten children, of which Rembrandt was the youngest. She died in 1640 in Leiden. Although there is no certainty about her identity, it seems that Rembrandt has pictured this model in at least six etchings and several paintings. The reference to Rembrandt’s mother dates to the inventory-list of Clemens de Jonghe of 1679, ten years after Rembrandt’s death. Since the same model appears in several works by Jan Lievens, Rembrandt’s companion during his training in Leiden, it has been suggested that she could also be Lievens’ grandmother, who was around sixty at that time.

Catalogue #21, Portraits of women, Rembrandt in black & white

Saint Catherine (the little Jewish bride)

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Valerius Röver, in his catalogue in 1731, was the first to introduce the title, in 1751 supported by Gersaint. Later authors have suggested that the subject may be Saint Catharine of Alexandria, based on the wheel in the background. She was a popular early Christian martyr, since she protested against the persecution of Christians by emperor Maxentius. She was sentenced to be killed by being bound to a spiked wheel.
It has been suggested that Saskia acted as a model for this print, both for this print and for the larger version (B 340 – NHD 154). There is indeed a strong resemblance to the face of Saskia in the studies (Bartsch 365 and 367).

Catalogue #21, Portraits of women

The great Jewish bride

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The idea that this etching pictures a Jewish bride, already suggested by Valerius Röver in 1731 (as *het Jooden bruitje*) is based on the document in the right hand of the woman. It is supposed to be a *ketubah* in which the groom confirms his obligation to take care of his wife. Waiting for the groom, the bride is expected to have her hair hanging loosely. But others have suggested that the sitter is Saskia, either in a role as Sibyl or as Minerva (Valentiner) or as Queen Esther (Madlyn Kahr), waiting for a meeting with King Ahasveros.

Catalogue #21, Portraits of women, Rembrandt in black & white