Medea, or the Marriage of Jason and Creusa
Medium
etching, with touches of drypoint, on japan paper
Dimensions
plate: 24.1 × 17.4 cm (9 1/2 × 6 7/8 in.) sheet: 25.5 × 18.2 cm (10 1/16 × 7 3/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of W.G. Russell Allen
Accession Number
1955.6.8
Art Historical Context
In 1648, Rembrandt Rijn, the Dutch Baroque master renowned for his profound use of light, shadow, and emotional depth, created *Medea, or the Marriage of Jason and Cre*. This etching draws from Greek mythology, depicting the sorceress Medea—Jason's spurned wife—poised dramatically above the wedding of Jason and Creusa, rival. Rembrandt captures Medea's towering, vengeful figure with outstretched arms, her face a mask of jealousy and impending fury, foreshadowing the tragic poison gift she bestows on the bride. This print exemplifies Rembrandt's fascination with classical stories, infusing them...
About the Artist
Rembrandt van Rijn · 1606–1669
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606–1669) stands as one of the greatest visual artists in the history of Western art and the most important Dutch painter of the 17th century. Born in Leiden to a prosperous miller's family, Rembrandt transformed painting through his revolutionary use of light and shadow, his psychological depth in portraiture, and his elevation of etching to a fine art. His approx...