Clement de Jonghe, Printseller (1651, Met-Objekt 5394)
Original title: Clement de Jonghe, printseller
kurzbeschreibung
Clement de Jonghe, an Amsterdam art dealer and print publisher, sits for this portrait. Rembrandt produced the image as an etching in 1651. The sitter appears in a relaxed pose, wearing a broad cap and a long-sleeved shirt.
Description
The man has settled into an armchair, his arms resting in his lap. A wide, flat cap covers his head, and a collared shirt wraps his upper body. The background stays sparse, revealing only a portion of the chair. Black and white dominate the image, with fine, varying hatching that gives the face a sculptural presence.
Context
Clement de Jonghe, born around 1624 and died in 1677, ranked among Amsterdam's leading art dealers and publishers; he distributed Rembrandt's prints, among others. The portrait dates to 1651, a time when Rembrandt was at the height of his powers as a portraitist and etcher. The commission attests to the business relationship between the artist and the dealer.
Impact
A quiet, intimate mood emanates from this etching. The viewer gains the impression of a self-assured yet reserved individual. The nuanced linework lends the sheet a draftmanlike lightness and brings the figure close to the viewer.
Technique
For the etching, Rembrandt scratched the drawing into an acid-resistant layer on a copper plate and then etched it. Varying etching times and subsequent work with the drypoint burin create changing line thicknesses. In this way, fine tonal gradations and a lively surface texture emerge.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)