Sheet of studies with a woman lying ill in bed
Catalogue #21, Rembrandt in black & white, Studies and sketches
Three heads of women, one lightly etched – Counterproof
There has been much debate whether the model in this etching, one of four female nudes Rembrandt etched in 1658, is his then fiancée Hendrickje Stoffels. Hinterding has suggested that Rembrandt may have joined his former pupils Ferdinand Bol and Govert Flinck. They have made several pictures of nude models in the same year. In Röver’s inventory of 1731 the print was referred to as 2 zittende naakte Vrouwtjes naar ‘t leven (two sitting nude women from life) in combination with Woman bathing her feet at a brook (B200). In the de Burgy sale of 1755 it was listed as De naakte Joodse bruid (The naked Jewish bride). It is not clear whom this title referred to.
Catalogue #21, Rembrandt in black & white, Studies and sketches
Sheet of studies of men´s heads
A very peculiar print of which only three impressions are known. There is little doubt that the original, uncut plate is by Rembrandt. But the plate was later cut into five small ones. It is likely that these plates are worked over by other hands. It seems that the first version of this print showed a 6th head, but it was later erased.
Diana at the bath
In this etching, as well as in Naked woman seated on a mound (B198), Rembrandt may have worked with a dressed model, since the shape of the belly and the absence of a clear abdomen are not in line with reality, as Sluiter points out. Yet, this picture is definitely considered to be a natural one and as such quite revolutionary. This also counts for the way the woman looks at the observer. Conventional pictures show the woman averting her look.
Woman at the bath, with a hat beside her
There has been much debate whether the model in this etching, one of four female nudes Rembrandt etched in 1658, is his then fiancée Hendrickje Stoffels. Hinterding has suggested that Rembrandt may have joined his former pupils Ferdinand Bol and Govert Flinck. They have made several pictures of nude models in the same year. In Röver’s inventory of 1731 the print was referred to as 2 zittende naakte Vrouwtjes naar ‘t leven (two sitting nude women from life) in combination with Woman bathing her feet at a brook (B200). In the de Burgy sale of 1755 it was listed as De naakte Joodse bruid (The naked Jewish bride). It is not clear whom this title referred to.
Woman sitting half-dressed beside a stove
Of this rather large etching Rembrandt has produced various states. Houbraken already noted that he has probably made the changes with the intention to sell the various states to contemporary collector’s. Houbraken assumed that these changes were in fact made by his son Titus. He called the print ‘t vrouwtje bij de kachel met en zonder ‘t witte mutsje. (woman beside a stove, with and without a white cap). Similar titles were used in the inventory of Röver (1731) and by van Huls (1735) and De Burgy (1755).
Nude man seated with one leg extended
Initially, in the inventory of Clement de Jonghe in 1679, this print was called Leggende naackte ruster (lying nude, resting) and somewhat later Een zittend naakt Mannetje met een extra lang been (a sitting nude man with an very long leg). It is one of the three studies of nude men Rembrandt made in 1646.
The Bathers
According to Schwartz this is one of the most spontaneous prints by Rembrandt. Several authors suggested that the plate was drawn in the air and was in fact never completely finished. The trees, the bank and the flowing river are drawn with only a minimum number of lines and without shading, as if everything is bathing in sunlight. The swimmers are also lightly etched, but in full contours. The effect of a warm summer’s day is strengthened when Rembrandt used yellowish Japanese paper for the printing.
Male nude, seated and standing (Het rolwagentje)
This etching was made in the same year that Rembrandt made two other nudes, B193 and B196. It is clearly a study of the male nude, showing the same model twice, but in different positions. This ‘learning’ element is also the reason that a charming group of mother and child is pictured in the background. As Jan Emmens pointed out in 1968, learning a baby to walk was a common metaphor for learning in general. It also gave the etching the nickname De Rolwagen (the walking frame), as early as 1731 (Valerius Röver’s inventory).
Nude man seated before a curtain
Gersaint stated that this plate was called The prodigal son in Holland.
Reclining female nude
This print is part of the four etchings Rembrandt made in 1658 of nude women. It is traditionally referred to as depicting a sleeping woman. In the inventory list of Valerius Röver it is called het slapende vrouwtje and in the de Burgy sales catalogue (1755) even as Een naakt slaapend vrouwtje, leggende met de billen bloot (A nude sleeping woman, lying with her buttocks naked). Then Bartsch suggested that it was in fact a dark skinned woman, calling it Negress lying down. Recently, partially based on the lighter versions of the 1st state, this assumption has been disputed and the original title has been restored.
Old bearded man, nearly in profile to the right
This is a clear example of the series of beggars and street folk that Rembrandt etched in the early part of his career.
Self-portrait with cap pulled forward
This is one of three self-portraits that initially were not recognized as such by Gersaint when he made his Catalogue raisonnée (1751). As usual the light comes in from the right. Rembrandt was obviously not content because he changed the light fall in the first four states, before printing larger numbers of the plate in the 5th state.
Catalogue #21, Fancy heads of men, Rembrandt in black & white
The rest on the flight to Egypt: a nightpiece
The rest on the flight to Egypt: a nightpiece
Young man in a velvet cap (Petrus Sylvius ?)
The sitter was originally identified as Ferdinand Bol (Münz, Schmidt-Degener, Biörklund) and sometimes as a self-portrait (Nowell-Usticke). Other authors mentioned Van Vliet or Gerard Dou (De Burgy sale 1755, lot nr 245). Later research made it highly likely that it is in fact Petrus Sylvius (1610-1653), the son of Johannes Sylvius (1564-1638), preacher, friend and family of Rembrandt and Aeltje Uylenburgh, niece of Saskia. Rembrandt made two etchings of Johannes Sylvius, B266 and B 280, the latter posthumous. In 1974 Dieuwke de Hoop Scheffer discovered an impression with the name of Petrus Sylvius inscribed on the backside (prior in the collections of W.Pelletier and J.Ritman). Also, watermark research has shown that a new edition was printed just after his death in 1653. The books and the clothing point at a learned man. The portrait was probably made just after Sylvius left to the Frisian village of Sloten, where he was appointed as church minister. Sylvius studied in Leiden at the same time that Rembrandt still lived and worked there. They may already have met there and then.
Beardless man in a fur cloak and cap: bust
Around 1630 Rembrandt made several etchings of old men, as did his companion Jan Lievens.