283 - Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606 Leiden - Amsterdam 1669), The Windmill .

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606 Leiden - Amsterdam 1669), The Windmill . Etching, with touches of drypoint on laid paper, watermark Strasburg Lily with Initials 'LC' (cf. Hinterding, variant A-LC a.a. or A-LCa-b). (1641). 14.7 x 21 cm (sheet). Bartsch 233; White/Boon 233; Hinterding/Rutgers (The New Hollstein) 200 only state. A superb and exceptionally atmospheric impression of this celebrated landscape, New Hollstein’s only state, with strong burr beneath the mill and on the signature. The sulphur tint printing dark and distinct, the craquelure in the sky sharp, and the fine structure in the sky behind the mill still clearly visible, as characteristic of the earliest impressions. With thread margins. The present sheet is an outstanding example of one of Rembrandt’s most celebrated landscapes. Long believed to depict the artist’s birthplace near Leiden – an appealing association given that Rembrandt was himself the son of a miller – the building was identified by Frits Lugt in 1915 as the so-called ‘Little Stink Mill’ on the De Passeerder bulwark outside Amsterdam. Owned by the Leathermakers’ Guild, the mill derived its picturesque nickname from the cod-liver oil used in the treatment of leather. The remarkably precise description of the mill, its construction and machinery, as well as the adjoining cottage, has led to the suggestion that Rembrandt may have worked on the plate 'en plein air'. Tiny anecdotal details, including the miller climbing the stairs with a sack on his back and a woman near the cottage, lend the scene an extraordinary sense of immediacy. Equally remarkable is Rembrandt’s treatment of atmosphere. The open landscape at right, the deep shadows beneath the mill and the windswept sky are rendered through an exceptionally subtle combination of etched line and sulphur tint. In this early impression, the pronounced craquelure above the cottage – caused by fine cracks in the etching ground – further enriches the sky and contributes to the remarkable atmospheric effect. – The upper left corner skilfully restored; the upper right corner tip backed. A small repaired spot at the lower left edge and a few tiny repairs in the sky. Otherwise in good condition. Very rare, particularly in an impression of this quality. Taxation: regelbesteuert (VAT: Regular Taxation).