While none of the artists in Rembrandt's circle took on printmaking with the same intensity and technical curiosity as the master himself, as a group they created a substantial and varied body of work that is worthy of consideration. By no means do their prints form a cohesive group but their works deserve examination if only because the relationship of their prints to Rembrandt's is so different from that of the same artists’ paintings and drawings to Rembrandt's work in those media and thus may inform us about Rembrandt and his activities and influence as a printmaker. In contrast to Peter van der Coelen's essay in this volume, which addresses the treatment of biblical subjects by this group of artists, this essay will focus on their work from the point of view of style and technique.

The Rembrandt School prints have not been well-explored beyond those by the most prominent and prolific printmakers, among them Jan Lievens, Ferdinand Bol, and Jan van Vliet, and only one of these figures was a pupil. Other artists in this group who created prints include Willem Drost, Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, Samuel van Hoogstraten, Philips Koninck, Salomon Koninck, Jurgen Ovens, Constantijn Daniel van Renesse, and Pieter de With.