Medea, or the Marriage of Jason and Creusa
Medium
etching, with touches of drypoint, on European (white) paper
Dimensions
plate: 14.1 × 17.8 cm (5 9/16 × 7 in.) sheet: 14.5 × 18 cm (5 11/16 × 7 1/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.7128
Art Historical Context
In 1648, Rembrandt van Rijn, the Dutch Baroque master renowned for his profound psychological depth and mastery of light and shadow, created *Medea, or the Marriage of Jason and Cre*. This etching draws from Greek mythology, depicting the sorceress Medea witnessing Jason's wedding to Creusa (also known as Glauce), moment pregnant with jealousy and impending tragedy. Produced during Rembrandt's Amsterdam period, when he was at the height of his fame, the print reflects his fascination with narratives from classical sources, blending history, emotion, and theatricality in a compact format. Remb...
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...