The Sleeping Herdsman

c. 1644

Rembrandt van Rijn

Associated Names
Rembrandt van Rijn

Artist, Dutch, 1606 - 1669

The image depicts an etching of a pastoral setting. A figure is seated against a tree on the right side, with their head resting on their hand. To the left, two children are seated on the ground in an embrace. The etching shows cross-hatched lines creating texture, implying shadows and forms around the tree and figures. A cow grazes in the distance, partly hidden by foliage. The horizon is obscured by the tree's branches and leaves. The artwork is monochromatic, using the density of lines for contrast and visual impact.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and burin

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 8 x 6 cm (3 1/8 x 2 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1951.10.482

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    White/Boon 1969, no. 189, State only

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Collection D'Arenberg (Lugt 567); Lessing Julius Rosenwald (Lugt 1760b) purchased from William Schab 1951; given to the National Gallery of Art 1951

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1988

  • The Pastoral Landscape: The Legacy of Venice, The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1988-1989, no. 61, fig. 128.

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. 217, state only.

Wikidata ID

Q65364767

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