Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn
(Leiden 1606-1669 Amsterdam)
“Beggar Man and a Beggar Woman Conversing”, 1630
Etching: 7,8 x 6,6 cm;
Signed in monogram and dated lower left:
‘RHL 1630’ (the 3 was originally a 2)
With thread margins.
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Notes
The two beggars represented on this plate, which is among Rembrandt’s (1606-1669) earliest etched compositions with a pair of peasant figures, bear a striking resemblance to the beggar man and woman on his early Sheet of Studies, etching, circa 1632.
As one of the towering figures in the history of art, Rembrandt, a miller’s son from the university town of Leiden, was an artist of unmatched genius. Equally gifted as a painter, printmaker, and draftsman, Rembrandt proved himself to be as skillful at making portraits as he was at creating religious and mythological narratives. His landscapes are just as remarkable as his rare still lifes and subjects detailing everyday life.
Widely recognized as the greatest practitioner of the etching technique in the history of art, Rembrandt created 300 prints that constitute a body of work unparalleled in richness and beauty.
Literature
Bartsch 164; The New Hollstein Dutch (NHD) 45, first state (of 3):
before the scratches between the man’s hand and the woman’s hip.
Plate in existence, private collection, United Kingdom.
with Nowell-Usticke C1 (1967)
Provenance:
- Johann Carl Dietrich Hebich, Hamburg (Lugt 1250, verso)
- Private collection, USA
- Collection Sam Josefowitz, USA
- Christie’s London
- private collection, The Netherlands