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 the 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, the only state in The New Hollstein, with strong burr beneath the mill and on the signature. The sulfur-tint printing is dark and distinct, the craquelure in the sky is sharp, and the fine texture in the sky behind the mill is still clearly visible—characteristic of the earliest impressions. With thread margins. This 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 depiction 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—such as 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 on the right, the deep shadows beneath the mill, and the windswept sky are rendered through an exceptionally subtle combination of etched line and sulfur 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 has been skillfully restored; the tip of the upper right corner has been backed. There is a small repaired spot at the lower left edge and a few tiny repairs in the sky. Otherwise in good condition. Very rare, particularly as an impression of this quality. Taxation: subject to regular taxation (VAT: Regular Taxation).