item details
Pierre-Francois Basan; artist; 18th century; France
Overview
Rembrandt's popularity as a printmaker led to him being extensively copied during his lifetime and beyond. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the workshop of Henri-Louis Basan, in Paris, owned and handled many of his original copper plates, producing final or penultimate editions of them. Basan also republished copies of Rembrandt prints, including this one, believed to be dated 1738-54.
The original dates from 1658 and is therefore a late work (Rembrandt had stopped making etchings by the early 1660s). It depicts the Amsterdam writing master Lieven Willemsz van Coppenol (1588-1667) in his study, working on his calligraphy, with his grandson, Antinious, reading over his shoulder.
The print has been trimmed very close to the edge of the image, which may have been its condition when it was mounted in the so-called King George IV album of Old Master prints, purchased by the Dominion Museum in 1910. However, within a few years, James McDonald, art assistant, photographer and sometime acting director, crudely removed all the Rembrandts (copies included) for their separate exhibition. They have not been returned to the album.
References: New Hollstein Dutch 305, copy b; Hollstein Dutch 282, copy 1
Dr Mark Stocker Curator, Historical International Art September 2017