The Adoration of the Shepherds: With the Lamp

Details

Bartsch 45; White/Boon 45 I (von II); Hinterding/Rutgers The New Hollstein 279 II (von III).

Provenienz:
Sammlung Heinrich Brockhaus (1804-1874), Leipzig, seitdem in Familienbesitz.

Description

Outstanding, strong impression, finely drawn in all details, with the white area in the upper margin above the horned cow. With plate tone in the lower left corner. Trimmed close to the platemark.
The Engraving belongs to a series of six sheets in total, which deal with scenes from the story of Jesus’ childhood. The spontaneous and seemingly fleeting style of the etching needle harmonises perfectly with the simplicity and intimacy of the depicted scene. Rembrandt avoids any exaggeration. If the arrangement of mother and child did not refer to a traditional biblical depiction, one might also think of a scene from a peasant genre. But it is precisely this simple conception that lends the depiction its intense expressiveness. With his masterful staging of the figures’ palpable, inner involvement in the events, Rembrandt proves himself to be an outstanding depictor of internalised, emotionally charged situations. – Verso with traces and remnants of former mounting. A tiny brown stain to the upper left edge. In very good condition.