Description:Created in 1658, this beautiful work has been printed on a fine, laid paper with full margins. According to Nowell-Usticke, this piece is from the early 1st state / lifetime impression with inky plate edges and rounded corners.
This etching by Rembrandt demonstrates his skill in presenting the figure in a realistic manner. The woman in the image is seated on a cushion on a chair the back of which is visible behind her. She appears to be drying her hands on the towel beside her. Research indicates that the image began as a studio figure study which Rembrandt changed to a scene outdoors by introducing foliage behind the figure and suggesting that there was a brook or small river in which her lower legs were immersed.
Rembrandt worked on figure studies throughout his career, though he etched only eight female nudes. Woman Bathing Her Feet at a Brook belongs to the last of the three groups of nudes he etched and dates from between 1658 and 1661. Rembrandt has made no attempt to idealize the figure or suggest any other classical or narrative references in the title. In this respect it is typical of the genre subjects of seventeenth-century Dutch art, which often featured ordinary citizens engaged in everyday activities.
The sensuality of the scene lies in the frank presentation of the figure of the woman, and is aided by the use Rembrandt made of dramatic contrasts of light and dark. The dark background gives the figure prominence, creating shadows that suggest varying skin tones. These underpin the depiction of a flesh and blood human being (ref. Museum of New Zealand).
Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
This Rembrandt etching is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the final sale of the work):
1. Biörklund, George. Rembrandt’s Etchings: True and False, Stockholm, 1968. Listed and illustrated as cat. no. BB. 58-D on pg. 130.
2. Boon, K.G. Rembrandt - The Complete Etchings, New York, 1965. Image listed as plate 279 and detailed in the introduction.
3. Hind, Arthur. A Catalogue of Rembrandt’s Etchings, New York, 1967. Listed on pg. 118 as cat. no. 298; illustrated as cat. no. 298.
4. Nowell-Usticke, G.W. Rembrandt’s Etchings, Narberth, 1988. Listed and illustrated as B 200.
5. Schwartz, Gary. Rembrandt: All the etchings reproduced in true size, New York, 1977. Listed and illustrated as B 200.
6. White, Christopher & Karel Boon. Rembrandt’s Etchings, Vol. I: Text, 1969. Listed as cat. no. B 200.
7. White, Christopher & Karel Boon. Rembrandt’s Etchings, Vol. II: Plates, Amsterdam, 1969. Illustrated as cat. no. B 200.
About the Framing:
Conservation framed with archival materials to ensure lasting quality, this work is float-mounted in a Spanish-style, black and gold moulding. The intricately sculpted detail with swirled accents and carved rivets complements the etched quality of this work. Completed with white, linen-wrapped mats featuring a gold-plated name plate with a matching gold inner fillet, this work is set behind an archival Plexiglas® cover.
