Live Auction 7781Old Master Prints
Christie’s roundel
Lot 60

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn

A Woman sitting half-dressed beside a Stove (B., Holl. 197; H. 296)

Closed8 December 2009

Price Realised

GBP 34,850

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Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn
A Woman sitting half-dressed beside a Stove (B., Holl. 197; H. 296)
etching with drypoint and engraving, 1658, without watermark, a good impression of this rare print, seventh, final state, the accidental scratch on her chest removed, with narrow margins, with grey wash in the skirt, the tip of the upper right sheet corner made up, some skilfully backed thin spots and minor paper losses at the sheet edges, framed
P. 225 x 187 mm., S. 229 x 191 mm.

R. Dighton (circa 1752-1814), London (L. 727), his stamp recto. Initials JAH in brown ink recto and verso (L. 1409), possibly John Audley Harvey, whose collection was sold in 1912.

Specialist note

Rembrandt's four studies of the nude executed in 1658 (B. 197, 199, 200 and 205) are considered to be the artist's most intimate and accomplished studies of the female form. The present work, the largest of these, was worked on to a far greater extent than the others, with seven described states. The modifications show the artist working at the balance of the composition and redefining the spatial context. Famously, the white cap was removed in the penultimate state, presumably because within the confines of a densely hatched composition it provided a distracting focus of light.