GENERAL DESCRIPTION
This print depicts the artist Rembrandt van Rijn and his wife, Saskia van Uylenburgh, in a unique double portrait. Rembrandt, a prolific printmaker who produced over ninety self-portraits in his career, followed a rich tradition of Northern European printmaking begun by Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528). Like Dürer before him, Rembrandt was responsible for a renewal of artistic interest in printmaking, albeit in the 17th century.
By the 19th century, Rembrandt was considered the model peinture-gravure (painter-engraver). This title designated someone who designed unique “fine art” prints rather than creating reproductive or “utilitarian” ones. This etching is notable as one of the first in which Rembrandt depicted himself working. He grips a porte crayon, a device for holding a piece of chalk, in his left hand. A widely influential print in the 19th and 20th centuries, it represents a seminal depiction of an artist’s self-portrayal with the tools of his trade.
Excerpt from
Amy Wojciechowski, DMA label copy, 2017.
NOTES
Created 1636
1st state
Two years after his marriage to Saskia, Rembrandt etched this intimate double portrait of himself and his young wife. This first-state impression can be compared to the following three impressions, on view here, to trace the progress of the print through later states, including changes made to the plate after Rembrandt's death.
Carl Wuellner
Lillian and James H. Clark Assistant Curator of European Art
April 2002
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: Leyden (inhabited place/Netherlands): TGN: 7006809
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- Khan Academy~Watch this video about Rembrandt's 1659 self portrait from Khan Academy.
- Rijiksmuseum, Amsterdam~Check out this self portrait of Rembrandt c. 1628.
- YouTube~Watch this video about an exhibition at the Frick Collection, New York, from 2011 tilted Rembrandt and His School: Masterworks from the Frick and Lugt Collections'.
- The National Gallery, London~View of painting of Saskia van Uylenburgh, Rembrandt's wife, from the National Gallery.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York~See another etching of Saskia at the Met.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1967.1.1
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General Description
This print depicts the artist Rembrandt van Rijn and his wife, Saskia van Uylenburgh, in a unique double portrait. Rembrandt, a prolific printmaker who produced over ninety self-portraits in his career, followed a rich tradition of Northern European printmaking begun by Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528). Like Dürer before him, Rembrandt was responsible for a renewal of artistic interest in printmaking, albeit in the 17th century.
By the 19th century, Rembrandt was considered the model peinture-gravure (painter-engraver). This title designated someone who designed unique “fine art” prints rather than creating reproductive or “utilitarian” ones. This etching is notable as one of the first in which Rembrandt depicted himself working. He grips a porte crayon, a device for holding a piece of chalk, in his left hand. A widely influential print in the 19th and 20th centuries, it represents a seminal depiction of an artist’s self-portrayal with the tools of his trade.
Excerpt from
Amy Wojciechowski, DMA label copy, 2017.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- Khan Academy~Watch this video about Rembrandt's 1659 self portrait from Khan Academy.
- Rijiksmuseum, Amsterdam~Check out this self portrait of Rembrandt c. 1628.
- YouTube~Watch this video about an exhibition at the Frick Collection, New York, from 2011 tilted Rembrandt and His School: Masterworks from the Frick and Lugt Collections'.
- The National Gallery, London~View of painting of Saskia van Uylenburgh, Rembrandt's wife, from the National Gallery.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York~See another etching of Saskia at the Met.
Notes
Created 1636
1st state
Two years after his marriage to Saskia, Rembrandt etched this intimate double portrait of himself and his young wife. This first-state impression can be compared to the following three impressions, on view here, to trace the progress of the print through later states, including changes made to the plate after Rembrandt's death.
Carl Wuellner
Lillian and James H. Clark Assistant Curator of European Art
April 2002
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: Leyden (inhabited place/Netherlands): TGN: 7006809
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1967.1.1
source file
object_notes_2_b-0378.xml.nores