Lucas Vorsterman is, in some ways, the most purely pictorial of Van Dyck’s portrait etchings. Even the taste of the time demanded no further elaboration than an engraved background, which, judiciously added, left undisturbed Van Dyck’s original work.
It would be interesting to know whether Rembrandt was acquainted with the etched work of Van Dyck. If so, it is all the more astounding that his work should betray no trace of any outside influence.
Rembrandt’s earliest dated etching is also, seemingly, his first etching—a Portrait of His Mother, of the year 1628—an unsurpassed little masterpiece. In its own mode of simple, direct, open, linear treatment, there is nothing finer, even in the work of Rembrandt himself. Saskia with Pearls in Her Hair, of 1634, as also the Young Man in a Velvet Cap with Books Beside Him, which belongs to the year 1637, are in Rembrandt’s best manner, but the crowning triumph of this period is unquestionably Rembrandt Leaning on a Stone Sill, bearing the date 1639 and showing Rembrandt at the happiest period of his life—successful, prosperous, and perfect master of his medium.
The portrait of an Old Man in a Divided Fur Cap, of the following year, is likewise admirable—not a line too much and every line full of significance. Jan Cornelis Sylvius, of 1646, shows in a marked degree Rembrandt’s sympathy with, and appreciation of the beauty of old age. The face is treated in a delicate and sensitive manner, and, with the fewest possible strokes, Rembrandt has indicated the texture and growth of the sparse beard of his aged sitter. Sulphur-tint has been used to give additional modelling to the face, while the background and costume are finished in a way which would have won the admiration of Dürer himself. Ephraim Bonus, Jan Asselyn, and Jan Six are Rembrandt’s three portrait etchings for the year 1647. Jan Six is Rembrandt’s masterpiece, so far as elaborate finish is concerned. He has availed himself of all the resources of etching, dry-point, and of the burin—used freely as an etcher may use it—to carry forward this plate. The center of the room is bathed in subdued light, which melts into rich and mysterious shadows in the corners.
REMBRANDT. JAN CORNELIS SYLVIUS
Size of the original etching, 10⅞ × 7½ inches
In the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
REMBRANDT. REMBRANDT LEANING ON A STONE SILL
Size of the original etching, 8⅛ × 6½ inches
In the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston