Virgin and Child with the Cat: and Joseph at the Window
Medium
Etching; second of four states
Dimensions
sheet: 3 3/4 x 5 11/16 in. (9.5 x 14.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Henry Walters, by exchange, 1923
Accession Number
23.51.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
In 1654, Rembrandt van Rijn, the Dutch Baroque master renowned for his profound psychological depth and innovative use of light and shadow, created *Virgin and Child with the: and Joseph at the*. This intimate etching, measuring just 3 3/4 x 5 11/16 inches, captures tender domestic moment from the Holy Family: the Mary cradles the Christ Child, who playfully engages with a curious cat, while Saint Joseph peers in from a window. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, reflects Rembrandt's fascination with everyday scenes infused with sacred meaning. As the se...
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...