The Card Player (Millenium)

Rembrandt Van Rijn

131346 Rembrandt van Rijn The Card Player 1641 B., Holl.136; H. 190; BB 41-M 3 1/2'' x 3 1/8'' plate size 12 7/8" x 9 3/4" sheet size Etching on Ingres d'Arches off-white laid paper (watermark) with large margins. Signed and dated in the plate (left of the subject's face, center). The second state according to Bjorklund, the fourth state according to Nowell-Eusticke. A 20th/21st Century impression printed by Marjorie Van Dyke. From the 'Millennium' edition limited to 2500 examples. This superbly printed etching with delicate cross-hatching and fine line work was pulled from the original plate as created by Rembrandt in 1641. The plate, formerly in the collection of Dr. Robert Lee Humber (along with 77 other original Rembrandt etching plates) had been on loan to the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, N.C. since the early 1960's. Upon Dr. Humber's death in 1970, his heirs sold the collection of plates to museums throughout the world, and a select group of private collectors in 1993. The late master printer, Emiliano Sorini spent two years proofing the plate for this etching and along with Marjorie Van Dyke carefully studied various states and proofs of the etchings created from the plate of "The Card Player." This experience provided Ms. Van Dyke, who eventually took over the project, the knowledge and insight to create impressions from the copper plate and gave her direct observation of the dry-point and burin lines, burrs and subtle nuances of the copper plates that Rembrandt had etched. In creating this impression, Ms. Van Dyke commented, "Because of Rembrandt's mastery of the chiaroscuro technique imparted to him by the work of Caravaggio, careful attention has been paid to the lights and darks of the copper plates to avoid any over-wiping which may render the images more stark than Rembrandt intended…. I feel as though we have been granted an opportunity to conduct a dialog with Rembrandt, and have adhered faithfully to Rembrandt's intent, vision and printing technique." Consequently, as a result of the expertise and delicate and painstaking work of Ms. Van Dyke and Emiliano Sorini, this impression surpasses in richness, quality and subtlety the impressions pulled from the plate in the last two centuries by the previous owners. This etching reveals Rembrandt's mastery of depicting the character of his sitter, as the small, shifting eyes of the subject (thought to be a pupil of Rembrandt's) express his distrust of his opponents in the card game. "The Card Player" also represents a major step in Rembrandt's experimentation in the etching medium as he employs dry-point and burnishes to create the rich tonal effects found in the work. The extensive cross-hatching in the deep shadows behind the subject highlight the features of the sitter and enforce Rembrandt's desire to focus the viewer on his features. The young man depicted is also the subject of Rembrandt's etching "Man at a Desk Wearing Cross and Chain (B. 261)."

Reg. No.

131346

Size

3 1/2" x 3 1/8"

Year

1641

Medium

ETCHING

PW Price

$5,500.00

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