The baptism of the eunuch.

During his lifetime, Rembrandt's extraordinary skills as a printmaker were the main source of his international fame. Unlike his oil paintings, prints travelled light and were relatively cheap. For this reason, they soon became very popular with collectors not only within, but also beyond the borders of the Netherlands. It also explains why, in later centuries, they were affordable for Bishop Ditlev Monrad, who donated this example to the Colonial Museum in 1869, and Sir John Ilott.

 

Rembrandt scholar and curator Clifford S. Ackley has stated that this print 'illustrates an episode of the Christian conversion from the ministry of the apostle Philip. The subject was painted several times by Rembrandt's teacher Pieter Lastman and twice by Rembrandt himself at the very beginning of his career. It clearly appealed to the Dutch Protestant emphasis on the confession of faith and baptism. An additional appeal for artists such as Lastman and Rembrandt was the opportunity to indulge their imaginative skills in inventing exotic costumes, trappings, and paraphernalia [seen both in the splendid rider and the black attendant, holding the eunuch's cloak.] Rembrandt takes full advantage of the opportunity, producing in this etching one of his most extravagant displays of ancient "oriental" splendor set in an invented oasis landscape'.

An interesting observation was made by Anna Rigg, summer research scholar in 2015-16, who looked at Te Papa's impression in close detail: 'At first sight it appears to be a straightforward biblical scene (though the animals, with their hefty dose of personality, can threaten to steal the show). But then with a good magnifying glass you might notice the two naked female bathers, reduced to a few tiny, sketchlike strokes in the background. It's got to be the slyest union of the sacred and the profane that I've ever spotted in an artwork (typical Rembrandt).' 

In some glosses of the story of the baptism, the dog wants to drink from the river as used for the baptism, and has been shooed away. Rembrandt's introduction of dogs into holy scenes has been interpreted by some critics as healthy Dutch naturalism, and a dig at the solemnity of Italian counterparts where it would have been unthinkable. It also seems likely that Rembrandt was a dog-lover. 

This is a late impression of the second state of the etching - the first two of four states were by Rembrandt himself. It is likely to date from the late 17th century. The waterfall and the bank on the right are shaded over in drypoint, and it is before the addition of the small plus sign in drypoint in the lower left corner and the appearance of an accidental scratch behind St Philip’s head.

References: New Hollstein Dutch 186, 2nd of 4 states; Hollstein Dutch 98, 2nd of 2 states

 

See:

Clifford S. Ackley, Rembrandt's Journey: Painter, Draftsman, Etcher (2003), p. 176.

Anna Rigg, 'Taking the Rembrandts for a walk: a look outside the collection', http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2016/05/12/taking-the-rembrandts-for-a-walk-a-look-outside-the-collection/

 

Dr Mark Stocker    Curator, Historical International Art       September 2017