The Star of the Kings: a Night Piece
c. 1651
Medium
etching, with a few touches of drypoint
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 9.8 x 14.7 cm (3 7/8 x 5 13/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.7220
Art Historical Context
In the hushed glow of Rembrandt van Rijn's *The Star of the Kings a Night Piece* (. 1651), encounter a masterful etching that captures the biblical drama of the Magi guided by the Star of Bethlehem This intimate print, measuring just 9.8 x 14.7 cm, draws us into a nocturnal scene of reverence and wonder, where the Dutch master's signature chiaroscuro—dramatic contrasts of light and shadow—illuminates the holy family and adoring kings against a vast, starry darkness. Rembrandt, a titan of the Dutch Golden Age and Baroque period, elevated printmaking to fine art through his innovative etching t...
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...