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REMBRANDT VAN RIJN
Self Portrait with Saskia
.
Etching, 1636. 105x94 mm; 4
1
/
8
x3
3
/
4
inches, thread margins. Biörklund’s second state (of 3);
Usticke’s second state (e) (of 6), with the horizontal scratch across Saskia’s chest distinct;
White and Boon’s second state (of 3); New Hollstein second state (of 4). A superb, dark and
evenly-printed impression with very strong contrasts and with no signs of wear in the most
densely cross-hatched areas, notably the dark shading beneath Rembrandt’s hat.
Rembrandt married Saskia van Uylenburgh (1612-1642), who came from a prominent
Leeuwarden family (her father was a lawyer and town leader), in 1634.They had likely met
at the Amsterdam home of Saskia’s uncle, Hendrick van Uylenburgh, a painter and art dealer.
Rembrandt and Saskia had four children, three of whom died shortly after birth; only their
son Titus survived into adulthood. Tragically, Saskia died the year after Titus was born, in
Amsterdam, aged 29, probably from tuberculosis. Bartsch 19; Biörklund 36-B; Hollstein
(White and Boon) 19.
[25,000/35,000]