Tag: Rembrandt in black & white
Jan Six
We will never know what the exact relationship was between Rembrandt and Jan Six, who was twenty-nine years old when this etching was made. It may well be that they were close friends, despite the difference in age of twelve years. It may explain why the setting seems to be the private quarters of Six, not his office or some other formal location. The way the sitter is portrayed here was unique at the time. It is as if Six was caught by surprise, hardly realising that someone was drawing him. The many artefacts surrounding him, all related to some aspect of Six’s daily routine, make this etching almost a genre-piece rather than a portrait. The fact that Six is reading a book indicates that he owned a library, one of the ‘noble’ things to do according to Castiglione’s *Book of the Nobleman*. As he did in several of his paintings, Rembrandt uses the light reflecting from the book Six is holding in his hand to illuminate his face. A few years later Rembrandt made an etching (B 112) as a frontispiece for *Medea*, a play written by Six (1648) and a painted portrait in 1654 (Bredius 276, in the *Six Collection*, Amsterdam) He also made two drawings for an *Album Amicorum* in 1652.
Jan Uytenbogaert, ‘The goldweigher’
At the time this etching was made Uytenbogaert had just become the *Ontvanger der Gemeenelandsmiddelen over de stad en ‘t kwartier Amsterdam* (Receiver of Amsterdam and surrounding area), a position he would hold for 42 years. He was a cousin and godson of the Remonstrant preacher Johannes Uytenbogaert of which Rembrandt made both a painting (in the *Rijksmuseum*) and an etching (B 279). It is unknown whether Rembrandt made this etching on commission or as a token of friendship and appreciation for the sitter. The latter is more likely since Rembrandt must have known Jan Uytenbogaert from his period in Leiden. They could have been befriended, since Rembrandt mentions Uytenbogaert several times in his letters to the Stadhouder, asking for payment for the two paintings he made in the same year.
Jan Asselyn, painter (‘Krabbetje’)
Jan Asselyn was a painter of landscapes (ca. 1615-1652). He returned from Rome in 1647. He married the sister of Rembrandt´s pupil Ferdinand Bol and became a citizen of Amsterdam just a few months before his death in 1652. He was quite small and had a deformed left hand, which led to his nickname *Krabbetje* (little crab). The books on the left side are pointing at Asselyn’s affection for reading. The painting on the easel in the 1st state shows the specialty of the sitter, landscapes.
Jan Uytenbogaert, preacher of the Remonstrants
Uytenbogaert (1577-1644 The Hague) studied with Arminius in Geneva and became a preacher in Utrecht in 1584. He was one of the most important leaders of the Remonstrants, not least because he was first army chaplain to Prince Maurits and later tutor to the young Frederick Henry, the Prince of Orange. He payed an important role in writing and presenting the *Remonstratie* to the States-General in 1610 (**in the collection ‘Rembrandt in B&W’, number 524**). This document started a long-lasting dispute in the Lutheran church. During the Synod of Dordrecht in 1618-19 the orthodox Contra-Remonstrants (also called *preciezen* or *Gomaristen* after their leader Franciscus Gomarus) won a long-lasting dispute over the Remonstrants (also called *rekkelijken* or *Arminianen*, after their leader Jacobus Arminius). Gomarus and Arminius were both living in Leyden. On 24 May 1619, eleven days after the execution of the Arminian Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, Uytenbogaert was banned. He fled to Antwerp and then to Rouen, where he stayed in exile. After the death of the Gomarist Prince Maurits in 1625, he returned to Holland. First in hiding in Rotterdam and then to The Hague. He regularly visited Amsterdam where he was a preacher at the Remonstrant Church. But he never regained his former influence.
Jan Antonides van der Linden
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.
Old man with a divided fur cap (Nicolas de Bye?)
The hat of the sitter is a Polish kutchma, which may indicate that the sitter is related to Poland. Michiel Roscam Abbing suggested it is Nicolaes de Bye, who was the son of Dutch parents and served as Councillor to Wladislaw IV Wasa, King of Poland, from 1639.
Jan Cornelis Sylvius
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.
Menasseh ben Israel
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.
Man at a desk, wearing cross and chain
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.
Old man with beard, fur cap & velvet cloak
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.
Bearded man, in a oriental fur cab and robe
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.
Bust of an old bearded man, looking down
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.
Old man shading his eyes with his hands
Despite its unfinished state, this etching is one of the most popular ones, since it shows a man in an uncommon position. Rembrandt has only drawn the head of the sitter and outlined the body with some drypoint lines, which become very vague in later impressions.
Man in an arbour
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.
Beggar with a wooden leg
This etching is part of the series of beggars and street folk Rembrandt made around 1630. Rembrandt treats his subject with much respect. Quite contrary to the way beggars with a wooden leg were normally treated by ‘the public’.
A peasant calling out: ‘Tis vinnich kout’
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.
Beggar seated warming his hands at a chafing dish
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.
Ragged peasant with his hands behind him, holding a stick
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.
Beggar woman leaning on a stick
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.
Beggar with a stick, walking to the left
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’.
Old beggar woman with a gourd
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’.
Beggar leaning on a stick, facing left
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.
Beggar man and woman behind a bank
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.
Beggar with a crippled hand leaning on a stick
This etching is generally considered to be a pendant of B 168, Old beggar woman with a gourd. Despite the large number of states, impression are very rare. This leads to the conclusion that Rembrandt may have considered this plate to be an experimental one.
Beggar in a high cap, standing and leaning on a stick
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.
Woman with a high headdress wrapped around the chin
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
Sick woman with a large white headdress (Saskia)
It is generally assumed that Saskia is depicted here, who died in 1642 at the age of 30 following a long period of illness.
Catalogue #21, Portraits of women, Rembrandt in black & white
The white negress
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