Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn

A good, strong lifetime impression of the third state; the right shoulder of the man in the fur cap is burnished away. Printing without any traces of wear. Trimmed to the image, with a fine margin on the lower edge. At the centre of the scene stands Pontius Pilate, distancing himself from the verdict with a dismissive gesture, while a high priest seizes the judicial staff from his hand – a symbolic act of assuming responsibility. Rembrandt was the first to depict the question of guilt in Christ’s death in this way. His initial version was a mirror-image oil grisaille (National Gallery, London), which he altered only slightly for the etched version. Mounted on a full-size backing due to paper tears and a horizontal tear. The lower blank margin with Rembrandt's signature has been attached on the support. Somewhat time-stained, mainly in the lower margin. Mounting strips on the reverse. Very rare!