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Overview
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, three centuries later, they were affordable for Sir John Ilott, who presented 37 Rembrandt prints to the National Art Gallery.
This etching dates from Rembrandt's mid-20s, when he left his native Leiden to go to Amsterdam, where he would remain for the rest of his life. At the time, he was a rising star in Dutch art. Rembrandt had a great gift for conveying intimacy with just a few etched lines. Here he places the Holy Family in a setting of comfortable domesticity - so comfortable, in fact, that Mary has kicked off her shoe while breastfeeding the Baby Jesus. Her work basket is open beside her, while Joseph nearby is reading a book as nonchalantly as his modern equivalent would a newspaper. Thus Rembrandt humanises the sacred to make it more accessible.
This is the only state of the etching.
References: New Hollstein Dutch 114, only state; Hollstein Dutch 62, only state
See: Minneapolis Institute of Art, https://collections.artsmia.org/art/55331/the-holy-family-rembrandt-harmensz-van-rijn\
Dr Mark Stocker Curator, Historical International Art August 2017