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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, and it also explains why, 200-300 years later, they were affordable to collectors such as Bishop Ditlev Monrad, Sir John Ilott and Harold Wright.
In this 1636 etching, both the artist and his wife are shown wearing historical clothing. Rembrandt wears a fanciful 16th-century style plumed beret tilted at a jaunty angle and a fur-trimmed overcoat, while Saskia wears an old-fashioned veil. Such play-acting was not unusual for Rembrandt who only twice represented himself in the manner that was most popular at the time, as a contemporary Amsterdam gentleman.
Rembrandt most likely met Saskia while working for her cousin, Hendrick Uylenburgh, an art dealer who had a workshop in Amsterdam. They had married on 22 June 1634, two years before this etching, and remained together for eight years until Saskia's untimely death at the age of 30. Surprisingly, it is the only etching that Rembrandt ever made of Saskia and himself together.
The two figures are presented in half-length, seated around a table before a plain background. Rembrandt dominates the image as he engages the viewer with a serious expression. The brim of his hat casts a dark shadow over his eyes, which adds an air of mystery to his countenance. Saskia, rendered on a smaller scale and appearing rather self-absorbed, sits behind him. It's almost as if we have interrupted the couple as they enjoy a quiet moment in their daily life.
Rembrandt, however, has transformed the traditional marriage portrait into something more inventive. This etching marks the first time that Rembrandt has presented himself as an artist at work. In his left hand he holds a porte-crayon (a two-ended chalk holder) and appears to have been drawing on the sheet of paper before him. By identifying himself as a draftsman, Rembrandt draws attention to his mastery of what was regarded as the most important basic skill of an artist. Is he drawing Saskia or is she simply there to support and inspire her husband as he works? While the marks on his paper don't provide conclusive evidence of his subject, Saskia would sit for her husband on numerous occasions.
This impression, the third of fourth states of the etching, dates from the 18th century. It pre-dates the period when it was owned by Henri Louis Basan, whose Parisian workshop made alterations to the plate (1797-1809). It was presented by Bishop Ditlev Monrad to the Colonial Museum in 1869 and forms part of the foundation art collection. Two other impressions were later presented to the National Art Gallery by Sir John Ilott (1952-0003-45) and Harold Wright (1965-0012-28).
References:
New Hollstein Dutch 158, 3rd of 4 states; Hollstein Dutch 19, 3rd of 3 states
See: Khan Academy, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/reformation-counter-reformation/a/rembrandt-s elf-portrait-with-saskia
Dr Mark Stocker Curator, Historical International Art August 2017
New Hollstein Dutch 158, 3rd of 4 states
Hollstein Dutch 19, undescribed state