Live Auction 20450Old Master and British Works on Paper: Drawings, Watercolours and Prints 1500-1900
REMBRANDT HARMENSZ. VAN RIJN (1606-1669)
Lot 231 PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT FAMILY COLLECTION

REMBRANDT HARMENSZ. VAN RIJN (1606-1669)

The Small Lion Hunt (with two lions)

Closed5 July 2022

Price Realised

GBP 17,640

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REMBRANDT HARMENSZ. VAN RIJN (1606-1669)
The Small Lion Hunt (with two lions)
etching, circa 1629, on laid paper, without watermark, a very fine impression of the second, final state, the heavily bitten lines printing richly, the lightly etched background sharp, with small margins, in very good condition
Plate 155 x 123 mm.
Sheet 161 x 129 mm.

Dr. August Sträter (1810-1897), Aachen (Lugt 787); his sale, H. G. Gutekunst, Stuttgart, 10-14 May 1898, lot 747 ('Brillanter Abdruck mit Rand.') (RM 35; to Meder).
With Amsler & Ruthardt, Berlin (acquired through Louis Meder).
Werner Weisbach (1873-1953), Berlin and Basel (Lugt 2659); presumably by descent from his father Valentin (1843-1899), Berlin (see Lugt 2539b, without mark); his sale, Klipstein & Kornfeld, Bern, 11 March 1954, lot 225 ('Brillantes Exemplar mit Rand. Sig. Dr. A. Sträter').
A Family Collection, USA.

Specialist note

The subject of the lion hunt was one that Rembrandt revisited three times; the present etching is arguably the most dramatic and dynamic of them all. Possibly showing a scene towards the end of the hunt, one cornered lioness sinks its teeth and claws into an unfortunate rider who has been unseated from his rearing horse, while in the foreground a second lion glowers menacingly, preparing to attack the rider who has his spear raised, likewise going for the kill. Rembrandt leaves us to ponder the final result. His swift, sketch-like lines and extreme contrasts are perfectly matched to the violent, tumultuous scene, and the work is testament to his skill at capturing all the unfolding drama on a relatively small plate.