Student at a Table by Candlelight Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn

A superb, early and richly inked lifetime impression of New Hollstein’s first state (of two), printing in deep blacks and without any signs of wear. With the outline of the candle flame and the furrows on the student’s forehead clearly visible, and before the extensive reworking in mezzotint in the second state. This compact composition is a remarkably concentrated study of chiaroscuro and darkness in an enclosed space. The unidentified figure, seated at a desk with an open book and his head resting pensively on one hand, may be understood as a scholar or student. A small oil lamp provides the only source of light, faintly illuminating his face and hands, the table and books, while the remainder of the room dissolves into darkness. Together with the contemporary Saint Jerome in a Dark Chamber, this etching is among Rembrandt’s earliest explorations of extreme darkness in print. In early impressions such as the present one, the subtle gradations of light and shadow are rendered with remarkable precision through densely worked lines and cross-hatching. Later impressions lose much of this definition as the delicate lines become worn. Rembrandt’s fascination with artificial light may have been encouraged by the Utrecht Caravaggisti, whose dramatic candlelit scenes offered important contemporary examples of the depiction of light emerging from darkness. With a fine, narrow margin around the platemark. – The tip of the lower right corner skilfully made up. The paper slightly toned, with a few scattered brown spots on the verso. Verso with traces and remnants of a former mounting. Otherwise in very good condition. | 1606 Leiden - Amsterdam 1669 | 15.-18. Jahrhundert | Druckgrafik | Nummer: 26x1693 | Provenance: John Heywood Hawkins (1802–1877), London and Bignor Park (Sussex), verso with his written collector’s mark in pencil (cf. Lugt 3022); Duke of Buccleuch (1806–1884), London and Dalkeith, verso with his collector’s stamp (Lugt 402), his sale, Christie’s, London, 21 April 1887, lot 1899; John H. Garrett (died after 1894), verso with a written mark in pencil (?); Joseph R. Ritman (Artemis cat. no. 73).

Estimate:£23,657.53

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