The copperplate was in the sale by Clement de Jonghe (1679, as 19 swemmertjes). An unknown owner then added two dots. It later appeared in the sale by Pieter de Haan (1767, lot 54) where it was sold to Yver who sold it to Claude-Henri Watelet (1718-1786). It then became part of the set of plates subsequently owned and used for printing Recueils by Pierre-François Basan (1723-97), Henri-Louis Basan (his nr 1429), 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) and is now probably in a private collection in the USA.

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.

This etching is considered as special by Coppier.

NH lists three states, only the first by Rembrandt. The 2nd state (two dots) is ‘new’. Most other authors list two states, Nowell-Usticke three states, from the 2nd state there are later impressions by de Haan, Watelet, Basan, Jean, Bernard and Beaumont.
In the 1st state (R540) the edges are still rough. There are many small vertical scratches in the air, on the right side, in the middle.
In the 2nd state (NH only) an unknown owner has added two dots in the upper right corner.
In the 2nd state of NU the edges are polished and the corners are rounded, but the spot and the letter B are not yet visible. NH did not find any impressions of this state.
In the 3rd state (NH, NU/2nd state WB) there is a spot visible at the top in the centre, possibly the result of acid leaking through the wax. Several unclear signs (according to some to be read as ‘BVD’) are etched with the drypoint, under the left foot of the sitting man and the letter ‘B’ appears in the water approx. 3 cm from the right and 2 cm from the lower margin. In later prints these letters and the spot gradually fade away.
In early impressions by H.L. Basan there are vertical scratches near the man on the left. In later impressions by Jean (sometimes on greenish paper) the letters are only barely visible. Münz mentions a 3rd state in which the spot is not visible anymore. Nowell-Usticke considers this a late print of the 3rd state.

Of the 1st state there are only two impressions on Japanese paper in the Rijksmuseum and the Teylers Museum (Haarlem), a remarkably low number considering that Rembrandt was using these papers a lot in this period.
Nowell-Usticke considers the impression (without rework) in the Recueil of Basan to be pretty good.

In the 1st state: Arms; Foolscap; Posthorn with cm IR; Strasbourg lily.
In the 3rd state: Arms of Amsterdam; Pro Patria (> 1699); Seven Provinces (> 1709), Miscellaneous (late).

H 250, BB 51-B, G 187, M 292, Mz 138, RA 540-541,Cl 192, W 192, Bl 117 , Du 192, CD 209, S 80.
Hinterding 2008, p. 349-351;

NH: 3rd and final state/WB: 2nd and final state.
A good, somewhat light impression, still much darker than the impression in the Recueil. The two dots are well visible. The acid spot, the signs and the letter ‘B’ are clearly visible, much better than the impression in the Recueil. So is probably is an early 18th century impression, before the Recueils.
Sheet 163/165 x 242 /243 mm. Very broad margins, 27 to 30 mm on the top, 50 to 54 mm on both sides, platemark very well visible (+175%).
No watermark, horizontal chain lines at approx. 20 mm.

Rembrandt in Zwart-Wit, Het Markiezenhof (Bergen op Zoom) (August – November 2013).