St Jerome in a dark chamber.

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, and it also explains why, centuries later, they were affordable for Bishop Ditlev Monrad and Sir John Ilott. They presented their Rembrandts to the Colonial Museum and the National Art Gallery respectively, and Te Papa has inherited these collections. This print came from Bishop Monrad and formed the foundation art collection of the Colonial Museum.

 

The etching shows Rembrandt's renowned ability in light manipulation, manufacturing varying shades of darkness throughout the print. St Jerome is a subject often known to be surrounded by books, and shown in a studious and contemplative manner. Here, he appears to be nodding off, his posture at ease, resting his head on his left hand. Only the delicate streams of light coming from the window along the right side faintly illuminate his face and the rest of the chamber. We can see a crucifix, which he is facing, but no lion, his traditional attribute and companion.

What Rembrandt depicted in this etching is not physically possible. With such a bright light in the window, this chamber could not possibly have remained so very dark. Clearly, Rembrandt knew this; then why did he do it?  People love to tell stories about Rembrandt; the fact that this etching was made the same year as his wife Saskia died prematurely and the deaths of their three children shortly after childbirth, has been linked to his allegedly depressed mental condition.

This impression is a second state etching (the first two of the three were by Rembrandt himself).  The window has been enlarged by burnishing and the outline of the right-hand curtain is now concave.

 

References: New Hollstein Dutch 212, 2nd of 3 states; Hollstein Dutch 105, 2nd of 2 states

 

See:

Masterworks Fine Art, https://www.masterworksfineart.com/artist/harmensz-van-rijn-rembrandt/st-jerome-in-a-dark-chamber-1642/

Joseph J. Schildkraut, 'Saint Jerome in a Dark Chamber: Rembrandt’s Metaphoric Portrayal of the Depressed Mind',

http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/pdf/10.1176/appi.ajp.161.1.26

 

Dr Mark Stocker    Curator, Historical International Art    September 2017