Peter and John Healing the Cripple at the Gate of the Temple (1659, Met-Objekt 5375)
Original title: Peter and John Healing the Cripple at the Gate of the Temple
kurzbeschreibung
Where related prints of this subject keep the healing at the temple gate fairly open, Rembrandt's 1659 etching presses it into an unusually dense crowd. The impression is the fifth of six states and brings together etching, drypoint, burin, and mezzotint.
Description
In front, a man steadies a kneeling companion with an armband, whose posture hovers between thanks and prayer. At the right a figure kneels with a bowl, asking for alms. Behind them several people are spread out, some talking, others looking off to the side. Columns and arches mark the setting as an ancient temple. Light falls from above and traces the outlines of the figures and the architectural members.
Context
The subject comes from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 3:1–10), where Peter and John heal a lame man at the temple's Beautiful Gate. In the late 1650s Rembrandt turned more often to biblical material and produced a series of prints; this sheet of 1659 belongs to that group. He was known for giving religious scenes emotional depth and naturalistic detail.
Impact
Textures and shadows are rendered so convincingly that the figures feel immediately present. The arrangement draws the eye toward the healing gesture and settles into a quiet, devotional mood. Rembrandt's handling of light heightens the dramatic tension of the event.
Technique
For this sheet Rembrandt combined etching, drypoint, burin, and mezzotint. That allowed fine lines and soft gradations of tone of the kind characteristic of his prints. The paper has been trimmed to 19 × 22.2 cm, which brings the central action forward more strongly.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)