Beheading of John the Baptist

c. 1627

Rembrandt van Rijn and Studio of Rembrandt van Rijn

Associated Names
Rembrandt van Rijn

Artist, Dutch, 1606 - 1669

Rembrandt van Rijn

Related Artist, Dutch, 1606 - 1669

This image features a man holding a sword in a dark, stone-walled room. The room has an irregularly shaped opening emitting sparse lighting in the background. A chain hangs from the left wall near a wooden trapdoor. In the foreground, the man raises his arms with the sword, casting deep shadows. His focus is on an object on the ground, while figures peer into the room through the hole in the background. A decapitated head is near the man's feet. The scene conveys suspense and intensity through strong lines and shading, emphasizing the dark atmosphere.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Accession Number

    1972.66.31

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    White/Boon 1969, no. 93, State i/v


Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1974

  • NGA Recent Acquisitions 1974, no. 115.

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. Rotterdam: Sound & Vision Interactive, 1993: no. 109w, i/vii.

Wikidata ID

Q65576416

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