Live Auction 20450Old Master and British Works on Paper: Drawings, Watercolours and Prints 1500-1900
REMBRANDT HARMENSZ. VAN RIJN (1606-1669)
Lot 225

REMBRANDT HARMENSZ. VAN RIJN (1606-1669)

Man at a Desk wearing a Cross and Chain

Closed5 July 2022

Price Realised

GBP 9,450

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REMBRANDT HARMENSZ. VAN RIJN (1606-1669)
Man at a Desk wearing a Cross and Chain
etching, 1641, on laid paper, without watermark, a fine impression of the second state (of five), printing with a light plate tone, a thread margin above, trimmed to or just inside the platemark elsewhere, the lower left corner made up, otherwise in good condition
Plate & Sheet 154 x 104 mm.

Thomas Thane (1782-1846), London (Lugt 811); his sale, Sotheby's, London, 25 May 1846 and following days, lot 994 (sold with three others; 'fine').
Adalbert Freiherr von Lanna (1836-1909), Prague (Lugt 2773); his sale H. G. Gutekunst, Stuttgart, 11 May 1909 (and following days), lot 2673 (‘Vorzüglicher Abdruck des 2. Zustandes mit dem Halskragen, aber vor der Überarbeitung der weissen Stellen am oberen Rande.‘) (Mk. 400).

Specialist note

The identity of the sitter of this very atmospheric portrait is unknown: several names have been cautiously suggested in the literature, including Nicolaes de Bye, councillor for the King of Poland, and the fellow artist Jan Lievens. Who ever he was, the same person appears to be the model for another of Rembrandt's etchings of the same year, The Card Player (NH 193). The head of the fair sitter, caught in a contemplative state, is lightly etched and the upturned collar mostly blank, creating a strong contrast against the dark background and the elaborately etched details of his luxurious 16th century dress.
By leaving the upper and upper right edge of the background unhatched and blank towards the platemark, Rembrandt seems to deliberately reveal the illusory nature of the picture plane.