423 - Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606 Leiden – Amsterdam 1669), Abraham’s Sacrifice.

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606 Leiden – Amsterdam 1669), Abraham’s Sacrifice. Etching and drypoint on laid paper, trimmed to foolscap size with watermark. (1655). 15.9 x 13.6 cm (sheet). Bartsch 35; White/Boon 35; Hinterding/Rutgers (The New Hollstein) 287, only this state. Provenance: Louis Godefroy (1885–1934), expert and art dealer, Paris, with his collector’s stamp on the reverse (Lugt 2971a); his posthumous sale, Sotheby’s, London, June 29, 1937, 'The Sacrifice of Abraham' sold for £100 (the present print cited under Lugt 2971a). A very fine, early print of the only state, with rich burr, printed with a light plate tone and strong contrasts in the shadows. With narrow margins. Rembrandt had already depicted the subject of the “Sacrifice of Isaac” in a painting from 1635 (Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg), but the etched version is more subtle in its composition. Abraham presses Isaac’s head against his side and covers his eyes, shielding him from the knife in his other hand. At the decisive moment, the angel intervenes, his outstretched wings framing the central group. The figures are largely defined in outline against the darker, tonal background; the composition is essentially completed in etching and enriched with touches of drypoint. The steep ravine of Mount Moriah heightens the drama, while the distant figures resting and travelers recall Rembrandt’s depictions of the “Agony in the Garden” (B. 75; New Holl. 269). This association is particularly significant, since the sacrifice of Isaac was traditionally understood in Christian theology as an Old Testament foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrifice. A related drawing by Rembrandt in the British Museum, London (inv. no. 1897, 1117.5), dated to the mid-1630s, depicts a slightly later moment, as the angel restrains Abraham’s hand and the knife falls away. Although executed some twenty years before the etching, the close relationship between the compositions suggests that Rembrandt may have returned to his earlier treatment of the subject when creating the print. – The corner tips have been skillfully repaired. – A small repair to the left of the large rock. On the reverse, there is an old adhesive strip along the upper edge. Otherwise in good condition. Taxation: subject to differential taxation (VAT: Margin Scheme).