The Circumcision in the Stable
Medium
etching
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.7214
Art Historical Context
In the heart of Rembrandt van Rijn's masterful etchings, *The Circumcision in the* (1654) captures a tender biblical moment from the Gospel of Luke: the ritual circumcision of the infant Jesus on his eighth day, traditionally performed by a mohel or priest. Rembrandt, at the height of his career during the Dutch Golden Age,imagines this sacred event not in a temple but within the humble stable of the Nativity, emphasizing intimacy and humility amid divine light. This print reflects the artist's deep engagement with religious themes, blending profound spirituality with everyday human emotion—a ...
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...