Sheet with Two Studies: a Tree, and the Upper Part of a Head of the Artist Wearing a Velvet Cap

c. 1642

Rembrandt van Rijn

Associated Names
Rembrandt van Rijn

Artist, Dutch, 1606 - 1669

The image displays intricate, swirling lines and textured shading to create an abstract scene. On the left side are fine lines resembling branches and leaves, with a small figure nearby. On the right side is a large, densely shaded form reminiscent of mountains or a rock formation. The elements come together to suggest landscapes and nature through imaginative shapes and line work.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (sheet trimmed to platemark): 8 × 7.1 cm (3 1/8 × 2 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.7202

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    White/Boon 1969, no. 372, State only

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Sir Edward Astley (Lugt 2775); Lessing Julius Rosenwald (Lugt 1760b); 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.

1961

  • Rembrandt's Etchings, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 1961-1962.

2001

  • The Unfinished Print, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2001, repro.

2004

  • The Unfinished Print, The Frick Collection, New York, 2004.

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. Rotterdam: Sound & Vision Interactive, 1993: no. 219, only.

Inscriptions

recto: at upper left in brown ink in later hand: 230

Markings

recto: Sir Edward Astley [Lugt 2775]

Wikidata ID

Q65024743

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