Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch 1606-1669)
Artist: Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch 1606-1669)
Title: The Angel Departing from the Family of Tobias
Medium: Drypoint etching on laid watermarked paper
Framed Size: Height 45 cm x Width 50 cm x Depth 2 cm
Plate Size: Height 10.5 cm x Width 15.6 cm
Condition: This work is in good condition, it has recently been professionally cleaned and separated from an old mounting board. It has been framed using double conservation acid-free mats. It is glazed with anti-reflective invisible glass “ArtGlass AR70” which has a UV block of 70% visible light transmission of 99% and a reflection of 1%.
Provenance: Private Collection Sydney
About: Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) was born in Leiden in the Netherlands. During his lifetime, Rembrandt’s immense skill as a printmaker as well as his diverse repertoire of subjects were the main source of his international acclaim. In contrast to Rembrandt’s oil paintings, prints travelled more efficiently, they were light and were relatively cheap to purchase. This allowed them to soon become very popular with collectors not only within the borders of the Netherlands but also throughout Europe, thus expanding the concept of art ownership for the middle class on an international level.
The Angel Departing from the Family of Tobias, etching and drypoint is printed laid paper with the "Van Gelder Zonen" watermark. This is a mid 19th Century impression from the original 17th-century plate.
This particular moment in the story of Tobias presented a challenge for Rembrandt in how he would choose to depict the scene. As the angel Raphael reveals himself to the father and his son Tobias, they both bow their heads to the ground in fear. When they look up again, the Angel has disappeared. He is present one moment and vanishes the next. Inventively, Rembrandt chooses to only show the soles of the feet of the Angel as he disappears out of the picture plane in a burst of light.
This is a fine impression, that captures the effect of light, along with the sentiments of humility, gratitude, curiosity and the startled amazement of the on-lookers present at the scene.