Notes

A fine impression of New Hollstein’s second state (of six), printing with touches of rich burr throughout, and delicate wiping marks in the sky.

This was one of the final etchings that Rembrandt undertook, and the last depicting a biblical subject. The scene comes from Acts 3 in the Bible, which tells the story of a man, lame since birth, who each day collected alms at the entrance to the temple. Encountering the man, Peter told the man to look upon him and John, and then took his hand and told him in the name of Jesus Christ to walk, which he proceeded to do.

Only the first part of this story is directly recorded in the etching, showing Peter and John meeting the man at the temple gate. The scene does however allude to events to come by the placement of two well-dressed men at the left side of the print, who appear to be surreptitiously eavesdropping on the unfolding scene. It is these figures presumably who later report Peter and John to the priests and the captain of the temple.

Referring to someone as a “cripple” is now considered offensive and is largely outdated, however historically this was used to describe someone with a physical disability. The academic title for this etching was decided on long ago and therefore still uses this term.

During his lifetime, Rembrandt’s extraordinary skills as a printmaker were the main source of his international fame. Unlike his oil paintings, prints travelled light and were relatively cheap. For this reason, they soon became very popular with collectors not only within but also beyond the borders of the Netherlands.