Christ healing the sick ('The hundred guilder print').

The so-called Hundred Guilder Print is one of Rembrandt's largest and most famous etchings, dating from 1647-49. Its popular name derives from the large sum of money supposedly once paid for an impression (copy). It is also called Christ healing the sick, Christ with the Sick around Him, Receiving Little Children, or Christ preaching, all of which are correct as the print depicts multiple events from Gospel of Matthew chapter 19, including Christ healing the sick, debating with scholars and calling on children to come to him.

In this work, Rembrandt broke from the long-standing Northern European tradition of ascribing devotional qualities to religious paintings. Instead, he depicted Biblical events as tender instances of piety and serenity. The print is reminiscent of many other Christian religious artworks because it clearly focuses on the figure of Jesus in the centre of the scene. It differs, however, in that it is not based on a single biblical story. However, Rembrandt uses clearly recognisable figures. The wealthy youth seated with his head in his hand recalls Christ's admonition against amassing excess wealth, and the mothers presenting their babies to be blessed symbolise Christ's acceptance of all his followers, no matter how individually insignificant. Thus the etching served an edifying purpose for Rembrandt's original audience, presenting many religious messages all packed together.

Rembrandt worked on the Hundred Guilder Print in stages throughout the 1640s, and it was the critical work in the middle of his career, from which his final etching style began to emerge. He probably completed it in 1649. Although the print was originally made in two states, the first very rare, evidence of much reworking can be seen underneath the final print and many drawings survive for elements of it.

M.E. Wieseman describes the etching as a 'technical tour de force, incorporating an enormous diversity of printmaking styles and techniques':

The group of figures at the left side of the print, for example, is deftly indicated with a minimum of lightly bitten lines; in contrast, the evocative richness of the blacks and the depth of tone in the right half of the print represents Rembrandt's experimental competition with the newly discovered mezzotint technique.

The Baillie Print

Around 1775, the London-based Irish printmaker Captain William Baillie printed an 100 impression edition of an extensively re-worked, by his own hand, version of Rembrandt's original copper plate, which constitutes the third state. This is the one in Te Papa's collection.

Baillie acquired the plate, already worn down by repeated printings, from the painter and engraver John Greenwood, whose work is also represented in Te Papa. As an engraver himself, Baillie attempted to restore the work, but his effort was considered by some contemporaries as 'hard and unfeeling, lacking all the subtleties of Rembrandt's own work'. After this edition, Baillie cut the plate into four pieces, reworked them further, and had them printed as separate images. To the reduced centre fragment with Christ, he added the frame of an arch.

References: New Hollstein Dutch 239, 3rd of 4 states; Hollstein Dutch 74, undescribed state

See:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Guilder_Print 

http://www2.oberlin.edu/amam/Rembrandt_HundredGuilder.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Baillie_(engraver)

Dr Mark Stocker, Curator, Historical International Art      August 2017