272 - Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606 Leiden – Amsterdam 1669), *Student at a Table by Candlelight*.

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606 Leiden – Amsterdam 1669), *Student at a Table by Candlelight*. Etching on laid paper. (c. 1642). 14.8 x 13.5 cm (sheet). Bartsch 148; White/Boon 148; Hinterding/Rutgers (The New Hollstein) 213 I (of II). Provenance: John Heywood Hawkins (1802–1877), London and Bignor Park (Sussex), on the reverse with his handwritten collector’s mark in pencil (cf. Lugt 3022); Duke of Buccleuch (1806–1884), London and Dalkeith, on the reverse with his collector’s stamp (Lugt 402), his sale, Christie’s, London, April 21, 1887, lot 1899; John H. Garrett (died after 1894), on the reverse with a handwritten mark in pencil (?); Joseph R. Ritman (Artemis cat. no. 73). A superb, early, and richly inked lifetime print of New Hollstein’s first state (of two), printed in deep blacks and showing no signs of wear. The outline of the candle flame and the furrows on the student’s forehead are clearly visible, and this print predates the extensive reworking in mezzotint in the second state. This compact composition is a remarkably concentrated study of chiaroscuro and darkness within an enclosed space. The unidentified figure, seated at a desk with an open book and his head resting pensively on one hand, may be interpreted as a scholar or student. A small oil lamp serves as the sole source of light, faintly illuminating his face and hands, the table, and the books, while the rest of the room fades into darkness. Together with the contemporary *Saint Jerome in a Dark Chamber*, this etching is among Rembrandt’s earliest explorations of extreme darkness in print. In early impressions such as this one, the subtle gradations of light and shadow are rendered with remarkable precision through densely worked lines and cross-hatching. Later impressions lose much of this definition as the delicate lines become worn. Rembrandt’s fascination with artificial light may have been influenced by the Utrecht Caravaggisti, whose dramatic candlelit scenes offered important contemporary examples of the depiction of light emerging from darkness. With a fine, narrow margin around the platemark. – The tip of the lower right corner has been skillfully repaired. The paper is slightly toned, with a few scattered brown spots on the reverse. The reverse shows traces and remnants of a previous mounting. Otherwise in very good condition. Taxation: subject to regular taxation (VAT: Regular Taxation).