Past Exhibition

The Life of Christ as Depicted in the Etchings of Rembrandt

Printed with black lines and deep, velvety shading on tan-colored paper, a man, Jesus, stands at the center of a crowd of more than two dozen people, mostly adults and a few children, in this horizontal etching and drypoint. Jesus is left of center. He stands facing us, but he turns his head to look to our left. Rays of light emanate from behind his head against the towering cave opening that surrounds him. His curly hair falls long over his shoulders, and he holds both hands out. His eyes are lightly incised, giving them an almost blurred look. A crowd of people lie or kneel to our right. Some use crutches or walking sticks, and some are on carts. All the people appear to have pale skin except for one with darker-toned skin to the right in this gathering. That person has a rounded nose, full lips, and wears an earring that gleams brightly in the deep shadows. A camel stands at the far side of this group under an arched opening. The people standing and one person sitting close to Jesus to the left are fully shaded, and those farther left are lightly outlined and sparsely shaded so they appear to be much lighter on the white paper. Close to Jesus are a woman holding a baby, a seated, clean-shaven young man, and several bearded men. Most of those who are along the left edge of the sheet wear turbans or floppy caps.
Rembrandt van Rijn, Christ Preaching (The Hundred Guilder Print), c. 1649, etching, drypoint and burin on Japan paper, Rosenwald Collection, 1943.3.7173

Details

  • Dates

    -

  • Locations

    Ground Floor, West Central Lobby
Printed with black lines and deep, velvety shading on tan-colored paper, a man, Jesus, stands at the center of a crowd of more than two dozen people, mostly adults and a few children, in this horizontal etching and drypoint. Jesus is left of center. He stands facing us, but he turns his head to look to our left. Rays of light emanate from behind his head against the towering cave opening that surrounds him. His curly hair falls long over his shoulders, and he holds both hands out. His eyes are lightly incised, giving them an almost blurred look. A crowd of people lie or kneel to our right. Some use crutches or walking sticks, and some are on carts. All the people appear to have pale skin except for one with darker-toned skin to the right in this gathering. That person has a rounded nose, full lips, and wears an earring that gleams brightly in the deep shadows. A camel stands at the far side of this group under an arched opening. The people standing and one person sitting close to Jesus to the left are fully shaded, and those farther left are lightly outlined and sparsely shaded so they appear to be much lighter on the white paper. Close to Jesus are a woman holding a baby, a seated, clean-shaven young man, and several bearded men. Most of those who are along the left edge of the sheet wear turbans or floppy caps.
Rembrandt van Rijn, Christ Preaching (The Hundred Guilder Print), c. 1649, etching, drypoint and burin on Japan paper, Rosenwald Collection, 1943.3.7173

Overview: Prints from the Rosenwald collection and an anonymous lender were presented in connection with a Washington Cathedral festival.

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