Object Details
Artist
Rembrandt van Rijn
Date
1634
Medium
Etching, engraving, and drypoint on laid paper
Dimensions
Image/Sheet: 10 1/8 × 8 1/2 inches (25.7 × 21.6 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of Louis J. Heizmann
Object
Number
74.057.009
In contrast to the extreme precision of the burin observable in prints by Dürer, Rembrandt uses a d(…)
In contrast to the extreme precision of the burin observable in prints by Dürer, Rembrandt uses a distinctly rougher and sketchier line in his etchings. Taking this scene from the story of Christmas when an angel descends upon unsuspecting shepherds to tell them of the arrival of the Messiah, Rembrandt divides the scene in two corners: the upper left composed of heavenly figures, the bottom right, earthly ones. Both sections are equally chaotic; animals and shepherds run in every direction in one while cherubs fly and whirl in the other. Rembrandt shows these two groups of beings as mirrors of one another, but still separated by distance. However, the rays of light emanating from the cherubs and the reaching tree branches suggest that this boundary will soon fall through the birth and work of Jesus. (“Imprint/ In Print,” curated by Nancy E. Green with assistance from Christian Waibel ’17 and presented at the Johnson Museum August 8 – December 20, 2015)
