Reclining Female Nude
Medium
Etching, drypoint, and engraving on japan paper; second of six states
Dimensions
Plate: 3 3/16 × 6 1/4 in. (8.1 × 15.9 cm) Sheet: 3 3/4 x 6 3/4 in. (9.5 x 17.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
29.107.28
Tags
About this artwork
This intimate etching represents Rembrandt at the height of his powers as a printmaker, creating revolutionary effects through technical innovation and artistic vision. Dated 1658 and signed "Rembrandt f. 1658" at lower left, this work combines etching, drypoint, and engraving to achieve unprecedented painterly qualities. The Metropolitan Museum's impression, printed on golden-toned Japanese paper, exemplifies the second of six states that document Rembrandt's evolving refinement of the image. J...
Art Historical Context
In 1658, at the pinnacle of his career, Rembrandt van Rijn created *Reclining Female N*, a groundbreaking etching that showcases his mastery of printmaking the Dutch Golden Age. Signed "Rembrandt f. 1658," this intimate work—measuring just 8.1 by 15.9 cm on its plate—combines etching, drypoint and engraving on warm Japanese paper, the second of six evolving states held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art from the H. O. Havemeyer Collection. Rembrandt revolutionized the medium here, blending velvetypoint lines with intentional plate tone (films of ink left on the plate) and the paper's golden hu...
About the Artist
Rembrandt (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...