Follower of REMBRANDT HARMENSZOON VAN RIJN (Leiden,1606- Amsterdam, 1669). "The Dormition of the Virgin". Oil on panel. Cradled. It presents restorations and faults on the pictorial surface. Measurements: 79 x 63 cm; 100 x 84 cm (frame). This painting follows the compositional model established by Rembrandt in his engraving of the Virgin's Dormition, created in 1639. The Hispanic Digital Library has a copy in its collection, which it describes as follows: "One of his most famous religious etchings is The Death of the Virgin, 1639. It is the first etching in which he used drypoint in a generalized manner, and the largest after The Hundred Florins. There are three states of this engraving and the Biblioteca Nacional has two excellent copies of the second state. The scene can be related to Dürer's The Death of the Virgin, which Rembrandt bought at auction in 1638, and also to several drawings of this period, such as The Death of Jacob or those of Saskia ill in bed. In The Death of the Virgin, the apostles surround the Virgin's mortuary bed in grief, while the angels circle around her to receive her soul. It is a multitudinous composition in which each person shows their grief in a different way. The room is adorned with large curtains, rugs and a canopied bed. The play of light and shadow is studied so that the attention is focused on the dead Virgin and the break of glory that occupies the entire upper part of the print, where Rembrandt uses very long and crossed lines. It is in this print that he first uses, in a generalized way, the drypoint on the clean plate before completing it with etching. From this moment on, this technique becomes for Rembrandt a true means of artistic expression." Displaced from the center of the scene, rests the figure of the Virgin with closed eyes and lying on a bed. The presence of the afflicted apostles at the feet of the figure of the Virgin, and the appearance of the angels indicate to us that this is the representation of the passage of the Virgin. A theme that became popular during the Baroque period and later, due to the Counter-Reformation, which led the Christian religion to resort to various passages from the life of the Virgin. In the work, the great magnificence shown by the architecture that configures the scene stands out especially. According to the Apocryphal Gospels, after St. Michael announced her earthly end, the Virgin summoned the apostles, who came to her call except for St. Thomas, who was preaching in India. We can appreciate how the author of this canvas has been able to assimilate the lesson of the undisputed master of chiaroscuro, the monochromatic tonalities with spectacular hallmarks. We can also appreciate the imprint of Rembrandt's varied impastos, whose brushstrokes varied from delicate glazes to the touch of a brush rich in matter. Rembrandt was, in addition to being a master painter, an exceptional engraver. He worked with both burin and drypoint, always dispensing with prior drawing, attacking the plate directly and exploiting to the maximum the expressive possibilities of the etching technique. He made many tests, removing and inserting elements and retouching, hence the great sense of immediacy of his engravings. He made up to ten different states, and it even took him years to finish some of his works. His favorite theme was the self-portrait: he took himself as a model to study his affections, and at the same time he left a record of his personality and the passage of time. It presents restorations and faults on the pictorial surface.