The copperplate was in the sale by Clement de Jonghe (1679) as 5 wandelende besjen. Around 1700 an unknown owner added two dots and a +sign. It later appeared in the sale by Pieter de Haan (1767, lot 49) and was sold via Fouquet 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 (1723-1797), Henri-Louis Basan (his nr 1424), 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 in the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh.

The scene pictured here is a leper with a wooden instrument in his right hand, used to warn bystanders of the presence of a contagiously ill person. Because of the rattling noise it was called a Lazarus klep.

It is assumed that Rembrandt was inspired by a series of beggars made by Callot in 1622 when he made a series of beggars himself, around 1630. Rembrandt 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’.

There is a copy in the same direction by William James Smith, included in his book (1824, 90 x 63 mm, WB 1).

The plate was made by a pupil according to Hind, Campbell Dodgson and Seidlitz.
The plate is not by Rembrandt according to Coppier and Singer.
Münz sees the hand of a pupil (Johannes van Vliet?) in all states but the 1st.

NH lists eight states, most other authors seven. Nowell-Usticke lists one trial proof and seven states, all contemporary.
In the 1st state (NH, WB, R484/NU trial proof A) the plate is uncut. The picture far from finished, the signature and date are missing.
In the 2nd state (NH/1st state NU) the plate is reduced. The monogram and date are added. There are scratches in the background.
In the 3rd state (NH/2nd and 3rd state WB, R486-487/2nd state NU) the scratches are removed. The earlier version of the monogram and date are removed.
In the 4th state (NH). Some small scratches are added at the left arm, the face still white.
In the 5th state (NH) the face is shaded with cross hatching, the neck is still white.
In the 6th state (NH/WB, R489/4th and 5th state NU) the back of the neck is shaded, the plate is cut again.
In the 7th state (NH/6th state WB, R490) the bank on which the lepers sits at the right side is shaded with vertical stripes. The plate is cut again.
In the 8th state (NH/7th state WB, R491) the small ‘v’ indentation on the sleeve is filled in. The three lines at the bottom of the cloak are now doubled.

Of the 1st state (trial proof NU) only one impression is known, in the Bibliothèque Nationale (R484). It is printed on the backside of an impression of Beggar man and beggar woman, (B 183).
Of the 2nd state (ND) only one impression is known, in the Hermitage. Of the 2nd state (WB) only one impression is known, in the British Museum (R485).
Despite the many states only very few impressions of this etching are known.

H 77, BB 31-Q, G 165, M 72, Mz 102, RA 484-491, Cl 168, W 168, Bl 138, Du 167, CD 288
Hinterding 2008, p. 318;