
Victoria Zaks
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Sold for US$35,840 inc. premium
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Lot Essay
This nocturnal scene from the Gospel of Luke marked new beginnings for Rembrandt on many fronts. It is not only one of his first large-scale religious etchings, but also his first attempt to render moonlight shadows in print with the same gravity and depth he achieved in oil paint. This etching captures the moment a group of shepherds are blinded by the light of a sudden holy apparition, an angel who came to announce the birth of Christ. The angel descends on a cloud illuminated by glory of God from which numerous putti pour out into the night sky. Rembrandt tactfully emphasizes the angel's grandeur by illustrating a stern, yet calm expression. He also demonstrates the expansive influence of the Holy Spirit by filling two thirds of the composition with its blinding light. The stunned shepherds scatter in fear in the foreground, their animals fleeing in a scene of pure chaos. Rembrandt further showcases his brilliant shadow work by sketching out two curious figures who peak out of a dark cave near the right sheet edge, barely lit in the twilight.
To visualize the stunning collision between heaven and earth, Rembrandt first scratched a detailed compositional outline with a sharp needle and etched lines. He then masterfully juxtaposes beaming, eye-catching highlights with intensely saturated jet-black areas built from crisscrossing layers of lines of varying widths. This fine netting of shadow echoes the spontaneity of the moment and underscores Rembrandt as a trailblazer in printmaking history as he boldly veered from the rigid and systematized patterns seen in the work of his predecessors like Hendrik Goudt.