Pieter Haaringh ('Young Haaringh')

Original title: Pieter Haaringh ('Young Haaringh')

Artist: Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)
Date: 1655
Medium: Etching, drypoint, and burin, light plate tone; first of fsix states
Dimensions: Plate: 7 13/16 × 5 7/8 in. (19.8 × 14.9 cm) Sheet: 8 3/16 × 6 1/4 in. (20.8 × 15.8 cm) Frame: 21 × 16 in. (53.3 × 40.6 cm)
Credit line: H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929

kurzbeschreibung

Unlike most of Rembrandt's portrait etchings, this 1655 sheet places Pieter Haaringh, known as 'Young Haaringh', in a dimly lit interior. Etched, reworked with drypoint and burin, and given a light plate tone, the print shows a seated man before a window.

Description

The figure sits front and centre, wearing a dark shirt and collared blouse, his long hair curling. Behind him all stays dark and indistinct; only a barred window can be made out. Side light falls on his face, leaving the right half in shadow. Fine etched lines and hatching shape the features and the clothing with great precision.

Context

The sheet was made in 1655 in Amsterdam, where Rembrandt worked as a portraitist and printmaker. The sitter, Pieter Haaringh, was an art dealer with business ties to Rembrandt. Around this time Rembrandt turned increasingly to experimental printing methods.

Impact

The dark ground and the light entering from the side give the scene a concentrated, intimate mood. Through the lively, almost sketch-like linework the portrait feels immediately present and addresses the viewer directly.

Technique

Etching combined with drypoint and burin allows both fine lines and soft tonal gradations. A light plate tone deepens the shadowed areas. This is the first of six states, pointing to an early phase of printing.

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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)