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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, two centuries later, they were affordable for Bishop Ditlev Monrad, who donated this example to the Colonial Museum in 1869. Copies of this print were made in Rembrandt's own lifetime: a counterproof (reverse) etching by Willem van Vliet dates from 1639, just four years after the orginal, while Anthonie de Vos again copied the print in reverse in 1677.
Typically depicted in Catholic iconography, St Jerome is considered the patron saint of learning and wisdom. He is often shown with a lion; legend has it that he removed a thorn from a lion's paw. Rembrandt skilfully crafts a series of crosshatching techniques to convey light and shadow. He seems to have minimally developed the background of the piece, using it as the subject's main source of light, seemingly coming from the upper right.
This impression is the first of two states (the first only by Rembrandt). It pre-dates the reworked plate, when horizontal strokes were added to the right elbow, as well as some almost vertical lines directly below it. The Old Master print dealer Christopher Mendez believes, however, that this is a very late impression.
References: New Hollstein Dutch 142, 1st of 2 states; Hollstein Dutch 102, only state
See: Masterworks Fine Art, https://www.masterworksfineart.com/artist/harmensz-van-rijn-rembrandt/st-jerome-kneeling-in-prayer-1635/
Dr Mark Stocker Curator, Historical International Art September 2017