Clement de Jonghe, printseller
Original title: Clement de Jonghe, printseller
kurzbeschreibung
In 1651 Rembrandt van Rijn portrayed the Amsterdam art dealer Clement de Jonghe. Executed as an etching combined with drypoint and burin, the print exists in the fifth of ten states. It measures 20.8 x 16 cm.
Description
A seated man wears a broad-brimmed hat and a jacket over a collared shirt. His arms rest folded in his lap, and he looks slightly to the left. The setting stays spare: a wall and a suggested window fill the background. Black-and-white lines of varying strength build texture and form.
Context
Clement de Jonghe ran a thriving art business in Amsterdam, among other things distributing prints by Rembrandt. The portrait dates from 1651, a period when Rembrandt was working with particular intensity as a printmaker. As with several likenesses of his contemporaries, friendship or business tied the artist to the sitter.
Impact
Delicate lines and the sitter's calm pose give the sheet a precise, dignified presence. Because the background is pared down, attention settles on the person; the facial features seem remarkably alive despite the graphic technique.
Technique
Rembrandt combined etching, drypoint, and burin to achieve finely graded transitions of light and shadow. In the fifth of ten states the plate is already heavily worked; later impressions show further changes.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)