Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn

A very fine, dark and richly-inked impression of this large print, with strong contrasts and no signs of wear, consistent with the earliest impressions of this subject. The large-format etching reproduces a painting by the artist created at the same time (1632/33), which is now in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich (inv. no. 39565). Prince Frederick of Orange, stadtholder of the Netherlands from 1625 to 1647, commissioned Rembrandt to paint five works depicting scenes from the Passion. This theme was a great challenge for Rembrandt, as it was depicted in Dutch art in a very rare manner. Rembrandt found an inspiring model for his composition in the monumental ‘Descent from the Cross’ painted by Rubens in 1612, which can be seen in the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp. Rembrandt changed the traditional interpenetration of the dramatic and the heroic in previous interpretations of the motif; in the 1630s in particular, he was concerned with depicting events of this kind in a natural way (Stechow 1929, p. 217). The collapsed body of Christ makes it clear that he is perceived as truly dead. The extremely elaborate rays of light falling from the upper edge of the canvas onto the main scene on the cross suggest a connection with the divine (K. Röder, in exhibition catalogue Schwerin 1995, p. 82). Trimmed to the borderline, cut under loss of the white margin. – Isolated, unobtrusive, skilfully repaired tears in the margins. The upper right corner made up. Smoothed horizontal creases, with occasional restorations. Otherwise in good condition.