Faust

c. 1652

Rembrandt van Rijn

Associated Names
Rembrandt van Rijn

Artist, Dutch, 1606 - 1669

The image shows the upper half of a person leaning slightly forward with one hand resting on a table, looking towards a glowing orb or symbol in front of a leaded glass window. The person has a long face with pronounced features, including a prominent nose, and is wearing a cap that covers their hair. Their clothing appears loose-fitting, with a richly textured robe featuring a distinctive pattern on the shoulder edges. The surroundings are dimly lit, emphasizing the circular, illuminated object on the window that contains letters and symbols. The background includes a curtained area to one side and a partially visible sculpture or relief on the wall. The setting seems to be an interior space filled with various objects and textures, adding to the complexity of the scene.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching, drypoint and burin

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 21.2 x 16.2 cm (8 3/8 x 6 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.9067

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    White/Boon 1969, no. 270, State i/iii

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Schloss 'E'; Lessing Julius Rosenwald (Lugt 1760b) from the Berlin Sale (lot #632) 1929; given to the National Gallery of Art 1943

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1930

  • Prints and Drawings by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) from the Collections of Lessing J. Rosenwald, Pennsylvania Museum of Art, 1930

  • Rembrandt Etchings: Lent by Mr. Lessing J. Rosenwald, Philadelphia Art Alliance, 1930.

1932

  • Etchings by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) from the Collections of Lessing J. Rosenwald, Sears, Roebuck, and Co. Art Galleries, Washington, D.C., 1932.

1933

  • An Exhibition of Prints from the Collection of Lessing J. Rosenwald, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 1933, no. 104.

1935

  • Paintings, Drawings, and Etchings by Rembrandt and his Circle, Art Institute of Chicago, IL, 1935-1936, no. 95.

1943

  • Selections from the Rosenwald Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1943-1944, pp. 80-81, repro.

1946

  • Prints from the Rosenwald Collection, Cayuga Museum of History and Art, Auburn, NY, 1946, no cat.

1947

  • Loan Exhibition of Paintings by Frans Hals and Rembrandt, Los Angeles County Museum, 1947, no. 32.

1949

  • Goethe as a Print Lover: to Celebrate the Bicentennial of his Birth, Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA, 1949, no catalogue.

1996

  • Obras Maestras de la National Gallery of Art, Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City, 1996-1997, pp. 124-125, repro.

2000

  • "Writing on Hands: Memory and Knowledge in Early Modern Europe, 1470-1700", The Trout Gallery, Dickinson College, Carlisle; The Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, 2000-2001, no. 70.

2006

  • Strokes of Genius: Rembrandt's Prints and Drawings, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Bibliography

1923

  • Hind, Arthur M. A Catalogue of Rembrandt's Etchings. London: Methuen and Co. Ltd., 1923.

1969

  • White, Christopher and Karel G. Boon. Rembrandt's Etchings. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Van Gendt & Co., 1969.

1993

  • The New Hollstein Dutch & Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts, 1450-1700. (Rembrandt, Erik Hinterding and Jaco Rutgers, authors). Rotterdam: Sound & Vision Interactive, 1996-, no. 270, state i/vii.

1996

  • Obras Maestras de la National Gallery of Art. Exh. cat. Museo Nacional de Antropologia, Mexico City, 1996: 124-125.

2000

  • Sherman, Claire Richter. Writing on Hands: Memory and Knowledge in Early Modern Europe. Exh. cat. The Trout Gallery, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA, 2000, no. 70.

Wikidata ID

Q65024896

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