Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn

A very fine, black impression of the third state (of five), printing strongly and with excellent contrasts showing no signs of wear, with fine wiping scratches and distinctively-wiped plate tone. Vertical shading added to the upper lid of the left eye. With fine margins. Rembrandt created around 30 self-portraits in etching; 27 featuring himself alone, and others depicting him in various roles or alongside other portrait studies. This particular etching, made when he was 27 years old, two years after relocating from Leiden to Amsterdam to pursue his career independently, and just months before his marriage to Saskia van Uylenburgh, stands out as one of his most introspective self-portraits. – With a tiny tear on the upper right edge, on the reverse with traces and remnants of former mounting on three corners, otherwise in good condition.