The copperplate was in the sale by Jean de Bary (1759, lot 39) where sold to Fokke (on behalf of Yver) and later to Claude-Henri Watelet (1786). It then became part of the set of plates subsequently owned by Pierre-François Basan, Henri-Louis Basan (his nr 1406), Auguste Jean (ca 1809), Veuve Jean, Auguste and Michel Bernard (1846), Alvin-Beaumont (1906) and Robert Lee Humber (1937). It was sold at the Artemis sale in London (1993) to a private collector in the Netherlands. In 2009 it was for sale with Noortman Master Paintings in Maastricht. In January 2012 it was for sale at Sotheby’s New York.

St. Jerome (Dalmatia 347 – 420 AD) is one of the four Patriarchs. He lived as a hermit for four years. He was very popular in the 17th century and consequently often depicted in works of art. Almost always in the company of a lion, referring to the legend that the lion became his loyal friend when Jerome removed a thorn from its pawn. Rembrandt made no less than seven etchings (B 100 till B 106) and several drawings of St. Jerome. In this etching the lion is only barely visible in the 2nd state, as are the other attributes of Jerome, the skull and the cardinal’s hat.

Until Gersaint correctly identified the person as St. Jerome, it was not recognized as such, probably because of the dark features. It was either called Het wenteltrapje (the spiral staircase, Valerius Röver in 1731) or De studioos by het wenteltrapje (the student with the spiral staircase, in the De Burgy sale of 1755) or de filosoof in het grotje (the philosopher in the cave, by an unknown 18th century source).

A painting by Rembrandt of Jerome reading is only known from a print by Johannes van Vliet (1631, Hollstein 13). There is a painting with a similar subject in the Louvre (Corpus C 51, Bredius 431) no longer recognised as authentic, although accepted by Tümpel.
From the same period there are two drawings with a spiral staircase, in the British Museum (Benesch 113 verso) and in the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen (Benesch 392).

There is a copy in the same direction by Watelet (1752, 106 x 131 mm).

The etching is considered as special by Coppier.
The plate is not by Rembrandt according to Singer.

The New Hollstein lists three states, the final one not by Rembrandt. Most other authors list two states, Biörklund three, Nowell-Usticke five. From his 2nd state there are later impressions by Watelet, P.F.Basan, H.L. Basan, Jean, Bernard and Beaumont.
In the 1st state (NH, WB, R325) the curtain in the right-hand window hangs down in a straight line.
In the 2nd state (NH, WB final, R326) the curtain is conclave. The chair at the right-hand side is high backed. A sitting lion can just be seen between the chair and St. Jerome’s feet. According to NU the work of Watelet.
In the 3rd state (NH, BB, NU, Basan) the plate is reworked, the lion is gone. The bars of the right-hand window are partly missing.
In the 4th state (NU only) the plate is again heavily reworked. There are four left-to-right thick lines just to the right of the Saints left knee. A hanging hat, barely visible in the 3rd state, is now clear.
In the 5th state (NU only) the plate is again (skilfully) retouched, probably by Bernard or Beaumont.

Of the 1st state two impressions are on Japanese paper, by far the earliest examples of the use of this expensive paper by Rembrandt.

Nowell-Usticke considers the impressions (without rework) in the Recueil de Basan to be fairly good.
Recueil de H.L. Basan – Page 22               NH: 3^rd and final state/WB: 2^nd and final state.
A somewhat light impression, showing many details.

Recueil de A. Beaumont –  Sheet 37        NH: 3^rd and final state/WB: 2^nd and final state.
A very dark impression, making details of the staircase and room almost invisible.

In the 1st state: Strasbourg lily (2 ed. 1642).
In the 2nd state: Basilisk and Strasbourg lily.

H 201, BB 42-E, G 106, M 214, Mz 247, RA 325-327, Cl 108, W 110, Bl 76, Du 108, CD 160, S 56.
Hinterding 2008, p. 226ff; Verdi 2014, p. 116;

New Hollstein: 2nd state of III/ White-Boon: 2nd state of II
Sheet 153 x 174 mm, thread margins of 1 to 2 mm all around (+2%).
No watermark. Horizontal chain lines at approx. 23 mm.

In the collection of Carl Joseph Frederik Johan Maassen (b. Amsterdam 1895, Lugt 1774b), his collectors mark in black ink verso.

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