393 - Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606 Leiden – Amsterdam 1669), *The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds*.

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606 Leiden – Amsterdam 1669), *The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds*. Etching, engraving, and drypoint on laid paper, watermark: Arms of Ravensburg (Hinterding, variant B'a.1°). (1634). 26.1 x 22.2 cm (sheet). Bartsch 44; White/Boon 44 III (of III); Hinterding/Rutgers (The New Hollstein) 125 III (of VI). Provenance: Ernst Friedrich Oppermann (1827–Berlin–1888), on the reverse with his collector’s stamp (Lugt 887). A very fine, richly tonal, and atmospheric lifetime impression, finely drawn in every detail. The landscape in the background is clearly visible and gradually becomes unrecognizable in later prints. With revisions to the tree in the center of the picture and to the angel’s robe. *The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds* is one of Rembrandt’s first large-scale religious etchings and is one of the earliest night scenes, a genre that would become something of a specialty for the artist. It was one of the first subjects in European art to be depicted as a true night scene, with the angel serving as an active light source, illuminating the pictorial space. Rembrandt created this etching in 1634, the year of his marriage to Saskia van Uylenburgh. Trimmed just outside the borderline. – A few isolated brown spots. Lower right corner reattached. Paper slightly stained by age. Verso shows remnants and traces of a previous mounting. Faint pencil notes on the reverse; otherwise in good condition. Taxation: subject to differential taxation (VAT: Margin Scheme).