Old Woman Sleeping
c. 1635/1637
Medium
etching
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.7269
Art Historical Context
In the heart of the Dutch Golden Age Rembrandt van Rijn created *Old Woman Sleeping* around 1635–1637, a delicate etching that captures the quiet intimacy of everyday life. At the time, Rembrandt was establishing himself in Amsterdam as a master printmaker, works that went beyond mere portraits to explore human character and emotion. This piece, housed in the National Gallery of Art'swald Collection, exemplifies his innovative approach during a period when etching emerged as a democratic medium, allowing artists to reproduce and distribute intricate images affordably. Rembrandt's etching tech...
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...