Notes

This print is closely related to the ones of the early life of Christ, etched in the same year, and of a similar size, using long straight hatching lines to model the figures and the background. In Rembrandt’s oeuvre, this is also one of the very rare subject-matters connected with sports and leisure time. Although the title refers to golf the sport depicted is actually a form of indoor croquet called beugelen, which involves a spade-like scoop. It was a popular pastime in 16th and 17th century Holland.

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. 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.