.jpg?w=1)
Descriptif du lot
The print depicts the moment the long-tested Abraham is hosting three strangers who reveal themselves as two angels and the Lord Himself, and is given the news that his wife Sarah would bear him a son within a year. As the devout Abraham serves his divine guests and bows humbly, Sarah listens in from behind the door and smiles in disbelief. God is clearly distinguished from the two angels, who themselves are friendly, yet rather pedestrian looking individuals, a far cry from the angelic stereotype. The composition of the figures seated in a semi-circle on the ground in front of a food platter is based on a Mughal miniature, which Rembrandt knew and copied in a drawing dated around the same time as the present print. The original miniature itself has also survived and is kept at the Albertina in Vienna.
Remarkably, the copper printing plate is still in existence and was rediscovered at Christie's in 1997 on the back of an oil painting by the Flemish artist Pieter Gysels (1620-91), who must have acquired it as a painting support around the time of Rembrandt's bankruptcy. Unlike other surviving plates, it was thus never reworked or reprinted and has remained unchanged since the time Rembrandt etched it. The plate is now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C..
The warm colour and silky sheen of the Japan paper, together with the rich plate tone and the heavy accents of velvety black burr - which occurs to this extend only in the very earliest pulls - lend this scene a moody, almost crepuscular atmosphere. It is an outstanding work of art and arguably one of the finest impressions in existence. The sheet comes with an impressive pedigree. From the list of previous owners, the name of the famous English etcher and surgeon Francis Seymour Haden stands out. A life-long admirer of Rembrandt, he assembled an extremely distinguished collection of his prints, which he exhibited at the Burlington Fine Arts Club in London in 1877. Remarkably, his holdings included another brilliant example of Abraham entertaining the Angels, printed on a darker, almost brown sheet of Japan paper. This 'sister impression' belonged to the late Sam Josefowitz and was sold recently in these rooms as part of his collection (Graphic Masterpieces by Rembrandt van Rijn - Part II, 5 December 2024, lot 14; £151,200).
Remarkably, the copper printing plate is still in existence and was rediscovered at Christie's in 1997 on the back of an oil painting by the Flemish artist Pieter Gysels (1620-91), who must have acquired it as a painting support around the time of Rembrandt's bankruptcy. Unlike other surviving plates, it was thus never reworked or reprinted and has remained unchanged since the time Rembrandt etched it. The plate is now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C..
The warm colour and silky sheen of the Japan paper, together with the rich plate tone and the heavy accents of velvety black burr - which occurs to this extend only in the very earliest pulls - lend this scene a moody, almost crepuscular atmosphere. It is an outstanding work of art and arguably one of the finest impressions in existence. The sheet comes with an impressive pedigree. From the list of previous owners, the name of the famous English etcher and surgeon Francis Seymour Haden stands out. A life-long admirer of Rembrandt, he assembled an extremely distinguished collection of his prints, which he exhibited at the Burlington Fine Arts Club in London in 1877. Remarkably, his holdings included another brilliant example of Abraham entertaining the Angels, printed on a darker, almost brown sheet of Japan paper. This 'sister impression' belonged to the late Sam Josefowitz and was sold recently in these rooms as part of his collection (Graphic Masterpieces by Rembrandt van Rijn - Part II, 5 December 2024, lot 14; £151,200).