295 - Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606, Leiden – Amsterdam, 1669), *The Great Jewish Bride*.

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606, Leiden – Amsterdam, 1669), *The Great Jewish Bride*. Etching, engraving, and drypoint on laid paper, watermark: Single-Headed Eagle (Hinterding, variant B’.a.a.). (1635). 21.8 x 16.9 cm (sheet). Bartsch 340; White/Boon 340 V (of V); Hinterding/Rutgers (The New Hollstein) 154 V (of V). A superb, early impression of New Hollstein’s fifth state, printed richly and in deep blacks, showing no signs of wear, and featuring exceptionally strong burr on the bodice, in the areas to the left of the hand gripping the arm of the chair, and elsewhere. With luminous contrasts and delicate plate tone. The stone wall in the right background is divided by horizontal lines, and the highlight on the wall is darkened by additional shading. On laid paper with a single-headed eagle watermark, as found on fine impressions in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris (see “Rembrandt, La Lumière et l’Ombre,” p. 61). Trimmed to the platemark. Rembrandt created this enigmatic portrait in 1635, one year after his marriage to Saskia van Uylenburgh. The identity of the sitter remains uncertain and has been the subject of considerable debate. Earlier scholars suggested that Saskia or Rembrandt’s sister served as the model, while the woman was also once identified as the daughter of Ephraim Bonus, the Amsterdam physician whom Rembrandt portrayed in 1647. Franz Landsberger (“Rembrandt, the Jews, and the Bible,” Philadelphia, 1946) interpreted the subject as a Jewish bride awaiting her groom, her hair falling loosely and a “ketubah,” or Jewish marriage contract, in her hand. Although these identifications remain unproven, they reflect the enduring fascination surrounding this intimate and enigmatic portrait. – Verso with a few minute brown spots, a numeral in reddish-brown chalk; with flattened horizontal folds and an old adhesive strip. Otherwise in very good condition. Taxation: subject to regular taxation (VAT: Regular Taxation).