The Angel appearing to the Shepherds

Details

Bartsch 44; White/Boon 44 III (from IV); Hinterding/Rutgers (The New Hollstein) 125 III (from VI).

Description

Excellent print with effective shading between the bright light and the deep shadows. With the revisions in the deciduous tree in the middle of the image and with fine burr marks on the back of the fleeing cow. With an even, up to 4 mm wide border around the margin line. Von Seidlitz considers this print to be a major graphic work of the artist’s early Amsterdam period. Particularly noteworthy is the differentiated use of clair-obscur. With this tonal spectrum, which includes a multitude of nuances from the deepest black to the brightest white, Rembrandt achieves a high level of contrast in his work and extremely dramatic lighting effects. The sky opens up to show the dove as the symbol of the Holy Spirit, surrounded by dazzling light and reduced to a mere outline, while the angel of the Lord announces the birth of Jesus. The panic that erupts among the shepherds and their flock, previously illuminated only by the pale light of the moon but now enveloped in blinding whiteness, explains why the angel begins his message with the words “Do not be afraid.” There are no preliminary drawings for this distinctly painterly etching. Rembrandt etched the landscape directly into the plate and brought it to perfection in the third version, that is, in its present state. – With smoothed, horizontal creases on the reverse. The paper slightly yellowed, mainly at the edges. With adhesive residue from a former mounting on the reverse. In good condition.