253 - Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606 Leiden - Amsterdam 1669), David in Prayer .

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606 Leiden - Amsterdam 1669), David in Prayer . Etching and drypoint on laid paper. (1652). 14.4 x 9.4 cm (plate), 19 x 13.1 cm (sheet). Bartsch 41; White/Boon 41 I (of III); Hinterding/Rutgers (The New Hollstein) 268 I (of III). A fine, deep black lifetime impression of New Hollstein’s first state (of three), with the corners of the plate still square, rich drypoint burr along the lower fringes of the bedcover and on the adjacent pillow, and inky plate edges at right and below. With wide margins. David in Prayer is stylistically and technically unusual within Rembrandt’s graphic oeuvre. Executed predominantly in etching, with only a few touches of drypoint, the figure and interior are defined less by outlines than by densely worked areas of light and shade. Through subtle hatching, Rembrandt creates volume and atmosphere, lending the scene an unusually painterly quality. The print depicts King David in penitential prayer following his adultery with Bathsheba, traditionally associated with Psalm 51. The sumptuous bed behind him alludes to his transgression, while the harp in the foreground identifies him as the biblical king and psalmist. Kneeling in the shadowy interior, David thus appears not as a triumphant ruler, but as a deeply human figure absorbed in remorse and contemplation. – The sheet slightly time-stained along the edges and verso. Verso with old mounting strips and a strip of transparent adhesive tape. Otherwise in good condition. Taxation: regelbesteuert (VAT: Regular Taxation).