Abstract
Although Rembrandt's printmaking was highly appreciated in his own time, he did not make it a focus of his teaching in the studio. His biblical prints had only a limited impact on his students and on artists inspired by his paintings at a distance. This article highlights the difference between the first decade of Rembrandt's work, when there is an intensive exchange with Jan Lievens and Jan van Vliet, and the period after 1635, when he trained a large number of students but kept printmaking largely to himself. In both periods, although artists in Rembrandt's milieu produced prints, there are revealing differences both in frequency and in their approach to biblical subjects. A case in point is a biblical print etched by Samuel van Hoogstraten in 1648. The iconographic associations brought to light here contribute to the growing interest in the graphic output of the circle of Rembrandt. However modest it may have been, it deserves further investigation.
Keywords: Rembrandt van Rijn, Samuel van Hoogstraten, Jan van Vliet, Jan Lievens, etching, printmaking, Bible
Rembrandt produced prints for nearly his entire working life, from the beginning of his artistic career in Leiden and right through his glory years in Amsterdam. Only towards the end did he gradually give up etching. Rembrandt developed himself from an inexperienced amateur to an unrivaled explorer of the limits of his medium. His graphic oeuvre is especially varied. Just about all traditional subject areas are represented: saints, landscapes, genre scenes, portraits, nudes, mythological scenes, and still lifes. However, biblical histories appear most often. Of Rembrandt's more than 300 etchings nearly a quarter feature scriptural themes: eighteen from the Old Testament and around fifty-five from the New. Prints with biblical subject matter not only dominate in terms of numbers, they also played a determining role in Rembrandt's artistic development. The most ambitious works in this area, New Testament etchings in large format, form the turning points in his oeuvre.
Although Rembrandt's prints were highly prized by amateurs and collectors and found an international market, it is well known that he did not cultivate a following with them.