Abraham Entertaining the Angels by Rembrandt van Rijn

Rembrandt van Rijn, Abraham Entertaining the Angels (recto), 1656, etched copperplate with drypoint, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Ladislaus and Beatrix von Hoffman and Patrons' Permanent Fund 1997.85.1.a

Rembrandt preferred etching because it allowed him greater freedom. He could achieve rich effects of light and dark and easily draw varied, expressive lines.

To make an etching, an artist uses a copperplate. The image shown on this page represents the actual plate Rembrandt used to make Abraham Entertaining the Angels. First, he covered it with a soft, acid-resistant "ground." Rembrandt invented his own two-part mixture: a black resin covered with a white paste.