,contributions from ,the ,museum of     
,history and ,technology3 ,paper #fa    
,rembrandt's ,etching ,technique3 ,an   
,example  ,peter ,morse   ,illustration3
 ,,figure #a  ,landscape with a hay barn
 and a flock of sheep4 ,etching by      
,rembrandt1 shown in original size4     
,by ,peter ,morse   ,rembrandt's        
,etching ,technique3 ,an ,example   ,a  
,rembrandt print in the collection of   
the ,smithsonian ,institution has been  
made the subject of a study of the      
artist's etching technique4 ,the author 
is associate curator1 division of       
graphic arts1 in the ,smithsonian       
,institution's ,museum of ,history and  
,technology4   ,all footnotes appear at 
the end of this paper4   ,rembrandt's   
print1 ,landscape with a hay barn and a 
flock of sheep1#a is a singularly apt   
example of the variety of etching       
treatment used by the artist in his     
mature period4#b ,the print1 in black   
ink1 #hc  #agd mm4 in size              
7approximately #c-a_/b  #g inches71 is  

signed and dated #afej4c ,it shows a    
peaceful ,dutch landscape along the     
,onderdijk ,road on the south side of   
the ,saint ,anthony's ,dike1 only a     
short walk from ,rembrandt's home in    
,amsterdam4 ,the picture is1 as usual1  
the mirror reversal of the actual       
scene4#d  ,the observer's attention1    
from his raised position1 is first drawn
 to the center of the print1 attracted  
by the bright highlights on the trees   
and barn1 then is snapped abruptly to   
the left side by the figure of the woman
 outlined against the sky4 ,now the eye 
moves slowly across the bottom1 noticing
 the flock of sheep and the shepherd1   
and is led further by the soft dark line
 of the creek bank1 to pick up the      
distant town and then the cows on the   
right4 ,only after completely circling  
the composition does one notice the     
horse1 rolling in the grass and joyfully
 kicking its feet in the air4  ,such    
artistic command seldom comes           
spontaneously4 ,in ,rembrandt's case1 it

 is clearly the result of careful       
preparation1 many years of learning and 
experience1 and hard work in the        
creation of each picture4 ,such a       
process has produced in this print--one 
of nine landscapes which mark a turning 
point in #afej--;a work of stylistic    
synthesis1 which integrates ,rembrandt's
 previous knowledge and leads on to his 
later masterpieces4  ,illustration3     
,,figure #b  ,mirror reversal of        
,landscape with a hay barn and a flock  
of sheep4  ,in #afej ,rembrandt was     
evidently in a tranquil state of mind4  
,he was #dd years old4 ,young           
,hendrickje ,stoffels1 who had entered  
his household in #afde as a maid1 was   
well settled as housekeeper and         
mistress4 ,geertghe ,dircx--who had been
 the nurse of ,rembrandt's son1 ,titus1 
since the death of his wife1 ,saskia1 in
 #afdb--;had just been taken to an      
institution after a nasty breach of     
promise suit4#e ,rembrandt's finances   
were in good shape2 his insolvency was  

not to come until #afef1 after the      
international economic crisis of #afec4f
 ,the artist certainly had the fullest  
confidence and experience in his working
 methods1 having already done close to  
#bej prints4#g ,this state of well-being
 is reflected in the fact that of the   
#bg prints ,rembrandt did in the three  
years1 #afej-afeb1 no fewer than #ad are
 landscapes of a serene character4#h    
,this is an unusually large proportion  
of a single subject and surely reflects 
the artist's state of mind1 which helped
 him to produce this masterpiece of     
serenity1 humor1 and technical          
virtuosity4  ,his etching technique can 
be clearly studied in this print4 ,in   
summary1 all the evidence shows that    
,rembrandt here laid a foundation of    
lines on his plate with a single        
etching4 ,he then mantled the sketch    
with rich drypoint lines1 to give a     
sensitive chiaroscuro to the finished   
work4 ,the integration of etching and   
drypoint is striking4 ,there are few    

areas of this print 7except the sky7    
that do not contain both kinds of line4 
,rembrandt evidently had an excellent   
idea of his design before he ever       
touched the needle to the plate4 ,though
 he is often admired for his            
spontaneity1 particularly in his        
landscapes1#i this is a misconception4  
,benesch lists no fewer than #gh        
landscape drawings by ,rembrandt in the 
years #afdh-afej1aj and there were      
perhaps many more1 now lost or          
unidentified4 ,for this etching alone1  
there are at least five likely          
preparatory drawings1 each giving       
certain essential features of the final 
print4 ,the most interesting is the     
,landscape with a ,rolling ,horse4#aa   
,here we see that the horse1 apparently 
the happiest of impulsive inspirations1 
is instead a carefully considered part  
of the final design1 copied from the    
drawing previously done on the spot4 ,as
 the horse in the drawing is the mirror 
image of that in the print1 we can feel 

certain that the drawing came first and 
not the etching4 ,two other drawings#ab 
7figures #d and #e7 delineate the clump 
of trees1 in form and placement very    
similar to the print4 ,a fourth#ac      
7figure #f7 is a sketch of a hay barn of
 the type shown in the print1 evidently 
quite common in the ,dutch countryside1 
and a fifth#ad 7figure #g7 foreshadows  
the scheme of composition used in the   
print1 principally the relationship of  
the road and the dark central mass4 ,all
 these drawings are the mirror reversal 
of the print4  ,illustration3 ,,figure  
#c  ,landscape with a rolling horse4    
,drawing by ,rembrandt4 ,after ,benesch1
 vol4 #f1 fig4 #addd4 7,smithsonian     
photo #eicia1 with the permission of    
,phaidon ,press1 ,ltd41 and the         
,groningen ,museum47  ,illustration3    
,,figure #d  ,a clump of trees4 ,drawing
 by ,rembrandt4 ,after ,benesch1 vol4   
#d1 fig4 #ajja4 7,smithsonian photo     
#eicib1 with the permission of ,phaidon 
,press1 ,ltd47  ,illustration3 ,,figure 

#e  ,farm building among trees4 ,drawing
 by ,rembrandt4 7,photo courtesy of the 
,albertina ,museum1 ,vienna47           
,illustration3 ,,figure #f  ,farmstead  
with a hay barn4 ,drawing by ,rembrandt4
 ,after ,benesch1 vol4 #f1 fig4 #adeh4  
7,smithsonian photo #eicic1 with the    
permission of ,phaidon ,press1 ,ltd41   
and the ,royal ,museum of ,fine ,arts1  
,copenhagen47  ,illustration3 ,,figure  
#g  ,farm buildings beside a road with  
distant farmstead4 ,drawing by          
,rembrandt4 7,photo courtesy of the     
,ashmolean ,museum1 ,oxford47  ,it is   
very much a modern taste to admire      
spontaneity more than craft4 ,we must   
understand that ,rembrandt's work was   
anything but spontaneous in execution4  
,the existence of so many drawings prior
 to this print certainly suggests that  
,rembrandt collected his ideas from many
 sources1 on the spot1 but did his      
finished work in the quiet of his       
studio1 with his notes ready at hand4   
,he used the sketches as the raw        

material for a work of art4 ,rembrandt  
said that the only rule that should bind
 the artist is nature1#ae but he was    
certainly not distracted by nature4 ,the
 individual genius here lies in         
assembling many observations from nature
 into a work which goes beyond nature   
and yet appears fresh and natural4  ,the
 metal plates he commonly used were of  
thin1 cold-hammered copper1 as shown by 
extant examples4#af ,the hammering had  
the effect of making the metal harder   
than today's rolled copper sheets4 ,this
 enabled more prints to be taken from   
the plate than is possible for a        
present-day printmaker4 ,today1 we tend 
to consider drypoint a very fugitive    
medium1 because the burr perishes so    
quickly under the pressure of the       
printing press4 ,rembrandt undoubtedly  
had fewer inhibitions about drypoint1   
for he could expect his harder copper to
 hold up longer1 perhaps for as many as 
fifty excellent prints from the same    
plate4 ,hammered copper1 unlike the     

modern rolled variety1 is also          
completely free of grain in the metal4  
,this enables a drypoint needle to move 
freely in any direction without         
encountering the resistance of a grain4 
,here again1 ,rembrandt had more        
incentive to use drypoint than a modern 
artist4  ,rembrandt's etching ground has
 been the subject of considerable       
discussion4 ,a book published in #affj1 
nine years before the artist's death1   
contains a recipe for ,the ,ground of   
,rinebrant of ,rine4#ag ,this ground1   
similar to that described by ,bosse as a
 soft ground1#ah consists of two parts  
wax1 one part mastic1 and one part      
asphaltum4 ,there are countless formulae
 for such grounds1 but virtually all are
 permutations of the same three         
ingredients1 with only slight           
differences in the proportions4#ai ,the 
ground given as ,rembrandt's is a       
thoroughly conventional one4  ,a knotty 
problem1 however1 is introduced by the  
last line of this #affj description3 444

 lay your black ground very thin1 and   
the white ground upon it4 ,this is the  
only way of ,rinebrant4444#bj ,no       
elaboration is given4 ,this one line    
presents a number of problems1 not all  
of which are soluble4 ,to take it at    
face value is to accept the contemporary
 evidence that ,rembrandt not only used 
a white ground but used it exclusively4 
,this assertion cannot be taken         
uncritically4  ,it will readily be seen 
that a white ground might be of         
considerable assistance to an artist4   
,his needle penetrates the white to the 
copper1 giving the familiar effect of a 
reddish ink line on white paper4 ,a     
normal ground1 without treatment1 is    
virtually transparent1 making the       
etcher's lines rather difficult to      
see4#ba ,the most usual procedure1 both 
in the #agth century and today1 is to   
smoke the ground and incorporate the    
soot with the ground by heating the     
plate slightly4 ,this gives a black     
ground1 against which the lines appear  

light1 the negative of the ultimate     
print4 ,the black ground is favored1    
both out of long-established tradition  
and because it is very easy to apply4   
,furthermore1 artists today explain that
 they also enjoy the feeling of working 
slightly blind1 that one of their       
greatest rewards is the sense of        
surprise in peeling the first proof     
print off the plate4 ,for whatever      
reason1 the black ground has been       
preferred by the great majority of      
artists1 both past and present4  ,the   
description of ,rembrandt's ground in   
#affj takes knowledge of the white      
ground for granted4 ,its technique      
certainly appears to have been generally
 well known among artists in the middle 
of the #agth century4 ,rubens1 in a     
letter as early as #afbb1 mentions      
having received a recipe for a white    
ground1 although he could not remember  
it4#bb ,the first technical explanation 
of the process appeared in ,bosse's     
pioneer treatise in #afde4bc ,there is  

no reason why ,rembrandt should not have
 known of the white-ground technique and
 every reason to suppose that he did4   
,there is one piece of strong evidence  
that he did use a white ground about    
#afca4 ,one of ,rembrandt's drawings    
exists which1 unlike most of his        
sketches is an exact prototype 7in      
reverse7 of a specific etching1 ,diana  
at the ,bath4#bd ,the back of this      
drawing is covered with black chalk1 and
 its lines show the indentation of      
tracing4 ,the only reasonable           
explanation of this evidence is that    
,rembrandt placed his prepared drawing  
on top of a white-grounded plate and    
traced the lines1 depositing the black  
chalk lines on the ground1 where he     
could then trace them with his etching  
needle4 ,another similarly indented     
drawing--for the portrait of ,cornelis  
,claesz ,anslo--has been held to show   
the same procedure as late as #afda4    
,this drawing1 however1 is backed1 not  
with black chalk as previously cited1   

but with ocher tempera4#be ,although    
surely used for tracing1 this gives     
perhaps even more evidence of his use of
 a black ground rather than white1      
although ocher lines would show on      
either4 ,these conclusions are not meant
 to imply in any way that ,rembrandt    
used the tracing of a drawing for his   
,landscape with a hay barn4444 ,there is
 every probability that he did not do   
so4 ,the implication is rather that only
 where a traced drawing with black      
backing exists do we have circumstantial
 evidence for the use1 and possibly a   
more general use1 of white ground4      
,without the published recipe no        
question would be likely to arise that  
,rembrandt used anything but the        
standard black ground4 ,with it1 we must
 search for corroboration4  ,though the 
case must be left as not proven1 the use
 of a white etching ground is consistent
 with ,rembrandt's practice of using the
 simplest effective means for achieving 
his artistic aims4 ,the distinctive     

quality of the print under consideration
 here is the artist's remarkable        
placement and articulation of areas of  
black against the white paper4          
,rembrandt may have found it far easier 
to visualize this ultimate effect by    
using a white background for dark lines 
on his plate1 rather than the negative4 
,rembrandt almost certainly made all the
 etched lines in this print in a single 
operation4 ,the lines were put on the   
plate before it went into the acid4 ,the
 plate was then etched by the acid in a 
single biting1 without stopping-out4    
,the evidence for these assertions comes
 from the print itself1 as we have no   
direct testimony in the matter4  ,in the
 first place1 the etched lines must be  
distinguished from the drypoint lines   
applied at a later stage4 ,the          
differences between the types of line   
are more easily seen than described4    
,the etched line is clear and strong1   
from the clean biting of the acid4 ,it  
is freer and more autographic because it

 is drawn through a wax surface1 not    
scratched in a resisting metal surface4 
,illustration3 ,,figure #h  ,detail of  
,landscape with a hay barn and a flock  
of sheep1 left center1 showing light    
drypoint lines of the horizon and etched
 lines of figures and hillside4         
,enlarged #aj times4 7,smithsonian photo
 #eichd47  ,illustration3 ,,figure #i   
,detail of ,landscape with a hay barn   
and a flock of sheep1 left center1      
showing forceful lines of tree branch in
 pure drypoint4 ,enlarged #aj times4    
7,smithsonian photo #eicij47            
,illustration3 ,,figure #aj  ,detail of 
,landscape with a hay barn and a flock  
of sheep1 center1 showing diagonal lines
 of light drypoint without burr4        
,enlarged #aj times4 7,smithsonian photo
 #eiche47  ,the drypoint line1 by its   
nature1 is more abrupt and forceful1    
showing the quality of having been      
scratched rather than drawn4 ,there are 
two basic drypoint lines1 depending upon
 the position in which the drypoint     

needle is held4 ,when it is vertical or 
nearly so1 the resulting line is shallow
 and prints more weakly and distantly   
than the etched line4 ,when the needle  
is pulled at an angle of about #cj to   
#fj1 a very perceptible furrow of copper
 burr is thrown up on one or both sides 
of the line on the plate4 ,this burr    
holds more ink than the clear channel   
and prints with a highly distinctive    
inky richness4 ,basically1 etching      
removes metal from the plate entirely1  
whereas drypoint displaces it in furrows
 of burr4 ,the rich fuzzy line produced 
by the burr is what we most typically   
associate with drypoint work4 ,the first
 sort1 the thin distant line1 is        
nevertheless just as truly drypoint as  
the latter and is distinguishable by its
 forcefulness and clear direction4#bf   
,the same line may also be created1 with
 slightly more work1 by using a scraper 
to remove the burr from a rich drypoint 
line4  ,illustration3 ,,figure #aa      
,detail of ,landscape with a hay barn   

and a flock of sheep1 bottom right1     
showing rich drypoint lines with burr4  
,enlarged #aj times4 7,smithsonian photo
 #eichf47  ,another way of making lines 
in a plate is with a burin--an          
instrument with a sharp triangular      
point--which is pushed through the      
copper1 instead of being pulled1 as is  
the drypoint needle4 ,when used         
conventionally1 the burin produces a    
very characteristic hard1 controlled    
printed line1 one which does not appear 
in this print4 ,when used lightly1      
however1 its line is virtually          
indistinguishable from that of the      
vertical drypoint needle4 ,it is quite  
possible that ,rembrandt used the burin 
in some of his work on this and other   
prints1 but it seems a somewhat less    
likely tool than the drypoint4 ,first1  
the non-etched lines in this print seem 
to have a more freely moving quality    
than could probably be produced with a  
burin1 a rather stiff1 if extremely     
precise tool4 ,second1 when ,rembrandt  

was commissioned in #affe to engrave a  
portrait expressly with a burin1 he     
found himself unable to do so4#bg ,his  
inability1 however1 may be attributed as
 easily to ,rembrandt's artistic        
independence as to his inexperience with
 the burin4 ,rembrandt's general use of 
the burin has been widely accepted4 ,the
 question may not be that simple4 ,these
 visible differences1 then1 enable us to
 separate the kinds of line within this 
print4  ,the author has attempted1 by   
tracing only the etched lines in the    
print1 to recreate the state of the     
plate after ,rembrandt's etching and    
before the application of drypoint      
7figure #ab74 ,it can be seen that      
,rembrandt's etched lines form only a   
foundation or skeleton for the finished 
work4 ,it is in no sense complete in    
itself4 ,more important1 the picture    
lacks all the rich contrasts of light   
and shade which distinguish this print  
and most of ,rembrandt's finished work4 
,illustration3 ,,figure #ab  ,traced    

sketch by the author1 showing only the  
etched lines in ,rembrandt's print1     
,landscape with a hay barn and a flock  
of sheep4 7,smithsonian photo #eicih47  
,it has been generally assumed that     
,rembrandt went through a fairly normal 
process of stopping-out and also        
re-etching in the course of his         
print-making4 ,the visual evidence would
 indicate that he did not follow this   
procedure here4 ,stopping-out is1 of    
course1 a means of creating variations  
in the printed intensity of etched      
lines4 ,after a plate has etched for a  
certain time--depending on the artist's 
inclination--it may be removed from the 
acid and some of its lines covered with 
a stop-out varnish1 similar in texture  
and acid resistance to the basic ground4
 ,the plate is then put back in the acid
 and the remaining lines etched more    
deeply4 ,this can be repeated any number
 of times1 giving a wide range of       
intensity to the various etched lines4  
,no such wide range of etched lines     

appears in the finished print4 ,further1
 where the edge of applied stop-out     
varnish crosses a single line1 the      
change in depth of acid biting at that  
point is readily visible4 ,again1 no    
such change of depth of a single line is
 visible here4 ,the inference1 unless   
attributed to very long coincidence1    
seems probable that ,rembrandt used only
 a single acid etch on the entire plate1
 with no stopping-out4  ,re-etching also
 seems unlikely4 ,if the original ground
 has been removed from a plate1 the     
entire plate must be re-grounded1       
without smoking or whitening1 so that   
the previously etched lines show        
through4 ,noticeably heavier etched     
lines appear at only a few places on    
this plate1 principally in the grass at 
the lower right4 ,it is probable that   
,rembrandt used a number of etching     
needles of different widths4 ,we do not 
see the typical changes in the lines    
produced by stopping-out or re-etching4 
,re-etching of new lines crossing       

previously etched lines often causes a  
slight penetration of acid under the    
ground into the old lines4 ,this shows  
in the printing as a dark spot at the   
point of crossing4 ,such an effect is   
not found in this print4 ,a similar     
result in the cross-hatching at the     
lower left is caused instead by drypoint
 lines crossing etched lines4  ,no      
direct evidence has been found          
concerning the acid corrosive used by   
,rembrandt to bite his plate4#bh ,only  
tentative conclusions can be drawn from 
this and other prints4 ,the etched lines
 in the ,landscape with a hay barn 444  
appear to be bitten with a fairly strong
 acid4 ,the lines are relatively broad  
in relation to their depth1 a           
strong-acid effect4 ,furthermore1       
illustrations of some of ,rembrandt's   
original plates from this period show a 
similar broad line4#bi ,in addition1 in 
the photograph 7figure #ad7 of at least 
one of the plates there is seen a       
peculiarly ragged line which is often   

caused by bubbles formed on the plate by
 acid action4#cj ,this appearance of    
bubbles is characteristic only of the   
strong acids4 ,of the acid formulae     
suggested by ,bosse in #afde1 only      
one--a distillate of vitriol1 saltpeter1
 and alum--appears to be strong enough  
to produce the observed effects4#ca     
,generally speaking1 ,rembrandt's later 
etchings show evidence of stronger acid 
biting than his earlier work1 which has 
more of the characteristics of weak     
mordants4#cb ,certainly1 a strong acid  
would produce a much speedier biting and
 bolder etched lines1 providing him with
 a solid foundation for his fine        
drypoint work1 and enabling him to work 
continuously1 with a minimum of delay4  
,illustration3 ,,figure #ac  ,detail of 
,rembrandt's finished print1 ,landscape 
with a hay barn and a flock of sheep1   
lower right1 showing lines of pure      
etching4 ,enlarged #aj times4           
7,smithsonian photo #eichg47            
,illustration3 ,,figure #ad  ,detail of 

the etched copper plate for ,rembrandt's
 print1 ,christ seated disputing with   
the doctors4 ,after ,coppier1 p4 #aag4  
7,smithsonian photo #eicie47            
,illustration3 ,,figure #ae  ,detail of 
,rembrandt's finished print1 ,landscape 
with a hay barn and a flock of sheep1   
far right1 showing drypoint drawing of  
sheep and post4 ,enlarged #aj times4    
7,smithsonian photo #eichh47            
,rembrandt's use of drypoint is1 as     
,jakob ,rosenberg says1 the most        
important innovation in ,rembrandt's    
mature graphic work4#cc ,after etching  
his skeletal design on the plate1 he    
went to work with his drypoint          
needles--long1 stiff1 iron              
instruments--sharpened to a fine point4 
,an artist generally has several        
available1 so that he does not have to  
stop and re-sharpen in the course of his
 work4 ,rembrandt evidently went even   
further and deliberately used dull      
needles to obtain certain light line    
effects4  ,when the finished print is   

compared with the sketch of the etched  
lines alone1 it can be seen how vital   
the drypoint is to ,rembrandt's whole   
conception4 ,the needle held vertically 
and slightly dulled1 for instance1      
produced the light shadings on the      
central hillock at lower left4 ,the     
sharp needle1 held at an angle1 threw up
 the burr which printed as the rich     
blacks on both sides of the hay barn1   
along the bank of the stream1 and on the
 road at left center4 ,the sheep and    
post at the far right were completely   
drawn with drypoint1 as was the shepherd
 of the flock at left center 7figure    
#af74 ,it is interesting to note that   
the flock originally had two shepherds1 
evidently a man and a woman1 standing at
 the center of the road and behind the  
flock4#cd ,these figures were drawn in  
the ground and etched in the first stage
 of the print4 ,rembrandt then must have
 decided that their proportion was wrong
 for his composition4 ,he reworked the  
area1 using a scraper or burnisher to   

flatten out his etched lines1 and       
covered the remaining ghosts of the     
figures with a mesh of drypoint         
cross-hatching4 ,he then added the      
single small figure of the shepherd boy 
entirely in drypoint4  ,illustration3   
,,figure #af  ,detail of ,rembrandt's   
finished print1 ,landscape with a hay   
barn and a flock of sheep1 showing      
shepherd in drypoint1 erased figures    
behind flock1 signature1 and date4      
,enlarged #e times4 7,smithsonian photo 
#eichi47  ,houbraken1 writing in #agah1 
talked of ,rembrandt's technical        
secrets1 which he would not let his     
pupils see4#ce ,in truth1 there are no  
secrets to this artist's technique in   
the etching medium4 ,but his mastery of 
the art goes far beyond communicable    
secrets4     ,,footnotes   #a ,hind #bda
 7,a4 ,m4 ,hind1 ,a ,catalogue of       
,rembrandt's ,etchings1 #b vol41 rev4   
ed41 ,london1 #aibc71 ,bartsch #bbd     
7,adam ,bartsch1 ,catalogue raisonne de 
toutes les estampes 444 de ,rembrandt   

4441 ,vienna1 #agig74 ,the particular   
example studied here is an impression of
 the second state 7of two7 in the       
collection of the ,united ,states       
,national ,museum1 ,smithsonian         
,institution4  ,the author wishes to    
express his deepest gratitude to ,jacob 
,kainen1 curator of graphic arts at the 
,smithsonian ,institution1 for his acute
 knowledge1 unfailing helpfulness1 and  
encouragement in the preparation of this
 paper4  #b ,p4 ,g4 ,hamerton1 for one1 
calls special attention to the technical
 importance of this print3 ,i recommend 
the student to familiarize himself with 
the workmanship of this plate4444 7,the 
,etchings of ,rembrandt1 ,london1 #ahid1
 p4 #ga47  #c ,the date is              
unquestionably difficult to read4       
,bartsch misread it as #afcf 7op4 cit41 
p4 #adh74 ,charles ,middleton           
7,descriptive ,catalogue of the ,etched 
,work of ,rembrandt van ,ryn1 ,london1  
#ahgh1 p4 #bii7 was the first to        
identify the date as #afej4 ,this has   

been accepted by all modern authorities 
except ,george ,birklund 7,rembrandt's  
,etchings3 ,true and ,false1 ,stockholm1
 #aiee1 no4 #eb-;,a1 p4 #ajc7 who reads 
it as #afeb4 ,this seems unlikely to me1
 not only on the great stylistic        
affinity of this print to ,rembrandt's  
unquestioned works of #afej1 but also on
 the basis of my own reading of the     
date4 ,the presumed digit #b is quite   
unlike the #b in ,hind's #beg and #bfc1 
,rembrandt's only dated prints of #afeb4
 7,see figure #af47  #d ,the general    
location of this scene1 as well as many 
others in ,rembrandt's oeuvre1 has been 
identified by ,frits ,lugt 7,mit        
,rembrandt in ,amsterdam1 ,berlin1      
#aibj1 pp4 #acf-adj1 revised from the   
original ,dutch1 ,wandelingen met       
,rembrandt in en om ,amsterdam1         
,amsterdam1 #aiae2 see also ,lugt1      
,rembrandt's ,amsterdam1 ,print         
,collector's ,quarterly1 ,april #aiae1  
vol4 #e1 no4 #b1 pp4 #aaa-afi1 and the  
attached map74  #e ,cornelis ,hofstede  

de ,groot1 ed41 ,die ,urkunden ber      
,rembrandt 7#aege-agba71 ,the ,hague1   
#aijf4 ,on the lawsuit1 see nos4 #aac1  
#aag1 #aah1 #abj-c1 #acj1 and #afe4     
,geertghe was taken to the institution  
on ,july #d1 #afej4  #f ,on the         
financial troubles1 starting in #afec1  
see ibid41 nos4 #adj ff4  #g ,the exact 
number is1 of course1 impossible to     
determine1 because of many uncertainties
 of attribution and dating4 ,a4 ,m4     
,hind1 op4 cit41 lists #bcf prints      
before the year #afej1 which seems as   
accurate a count as is possible4  #h    
,according to ,hind1 op4 cit41 the #ad  
landscapes nos4 #bcg-bfj and #bfb-bfd   
are attributable to the years #afej-eb4 
,of the #bg prints from these three     
years1 #af are actually signed and dated
 by ,rembrandt4 ,nine of these #af are  
landscapes4  #i ,e4g41 ,c4 ,j4 ,holmes1 
,the ,development of ,rembrandt as an   
,etcher1 ,burlington ,magazine 7,august 
#aijf71 vol4 #i1 no4 #da1 p4 #cac4 ,the 
well-known story of his having drawn    

,six's ,bridge 7,hind #bji7 on the plate
 while the servant went for the mustard 
is also often cited 7e4g41 ,hind1 op4   
cit41 p4 #ie71 but if true appears to be
 atypical4  #aj ,otto ,benesch1 ,the    
,drawings of ,rembrandt1 #f vol41       
,london1 #aied-eg4  #aa ,benesch no4    
#abbe1 ,groningen 7,netherlands7        
,museum1 inv4 no4 #baj1 dated about     
#afej1 the wash added by another hand4  
,this drawing was formerly in the       
personal collection of ,cornelis        
,hofstede de ,groot and was first       
reproduced and discussed by ,otto       
,hirschmann in ,die                     
,handzeichnungen-,sammlung ,dr4         
,hofstede de ,groot im ,haag1 ,,ii1 ,der
 ,cicerone 7,leipzig1 ,january #aiag71  
vol4 #i1 no4 #a_/b1 pp4 #ba-bb4  #ab    
,benesch #hej1 ,a ,clump of ,trees1 ,the
 ,hermitage1 ,leningrad1 about #afdh-ej1
 and ,benesch #abdf1 ,farm ,building    
,among ,trees1 ,albertina1 ,vienna1 inv4
 no4 #hhgc1 ,hofstede de ,groot #adig   
7,die ,handzeichnungen ,rembrandts 4441 

,haarlem1 #aijf71 about #afej-ea4  #ac  
,benesch #abcf1 ,farmstead with a ,hay  
,barn1 ,copenhagen1 about #afej4  #ad   
,benesch #abbf1 ,farm ,buildings ,beside
 a ,road with ,distant ,farmstead1      
,ashmolean ,museum1 ,oxford1 ,hofstede  
de ,groot #aach1 about #afej1 with later
 additions4 ,ludwig ,mnz 7,rembrandt's  
,etchings1 #b vols41 ,london1 #aieb1 no4
 #aei1 vol4 #b1 p4 #hd7 cites two       
drawings1 one in the ,ashmolean1 one in 
the ,university ,gallery1 ,oxford4      
,since the two museums are now one and  
the same1 ,mnz appears to have confused 
two listings of the same drawing4 ,mr4  
,hugh ,macandrew of the ,ashmolean      
,museum has very kindly confirmed1 in a 
letter to the author1 that in their     
collection there is only the one drawing
 which is similar to this print4 ,there 
is yet another drawing1 ,farm with ,hay 
,barn1 in the ,bonnat collection at the 
,louvre1 ,paris1 ,hofstede de ,groot    
#gfd1 which is cited by ,hind as a study
 sketch4 ,though very similar to this   

print1 in reverse1 it is considered a   
school piece by both ,lugt and ,benesch4
 ,it is quite possible that one of      
,rembrandt's pupils accompanied him on  
his walks and sketched many of the same 
subjects as the master4 ,the drawing    
reproduced in ,lugt1 ,mit ,rembrandt    
4441 op4 cit41 fig4 #hg1 is also not by 
,rembrandt4  #ae ,joachim von ,sandrart1
 a former pupil of ,rembrandt1 writing  
in #afge1 quoted in ,hofstede de ,groot1
 ,die 444 ,urkunden1 op4 cit41 no4 #cbi1
 p4 #cib4  #af ,the plate for the print 
under discussion here is not known to   
have survived4 ,there are1 however1     
still some #gi ,rembrandt plates whose  
present locations are known4 ,of these1 
#ge are in the collection of ,robert    
,lee ,humber1 on deposit at the ,north  
,carolina ,museum of ,art1 ,raleigh1    
,north ,carolina4 ,these are discussed  
at some length by ,andr ,charles        
,coppier 7,les eaux-fortes de           
,rembrandt1 ,paris1 #aibb1 pp4 #id-if74 
,he gives the chemical content of the   

plate for the ,presentation in the      
,temple 7,hind #afb1 about #afdj71 as   
#ie copper with impurities of tin1 lead1
 zinc1 arsenic1 and silver4 ,this may   
presumably be taken as typical4 ,mnz1   
op4 cit41 vol4 #b1 p4 #dg1 gives a      
listing of the surviving plates1 but    
mistakenly presumes the ,humber plates  
to be in the ,bibliothque ,nationale1   
,paris4 ,as a matter of interest1 the   
plate of the print1 ,the ,gold-,weigher 
7,hind #afg71 said by ,mnz to be in the 
,rosenwald collection1 ,philadelphia1 is
 not and never has been in that         
collection4 ,it is completely unknown to
 ,mr4 ,lessing ,j4 ,rosenwald and his   
curator4 ,its present whereabouts is    
unknown to the author4  #ag ,the ,whole 
,art of ,drawing1 ,painting1 ,limning1  
and ,etching4 ,collected out of the     
,choicest ,italian and ,german          
,authors4444 ,originally invented and   
written by the famous ,italian ,painter 
,odoardo ,fialetti1 ,painter of         
,boloign4 ,published for the ,benefit of

 all ingenuous ,gentlemen and ,artists  
by ,alexander ,brown ,practitioner4     
,london1 ,printed for ,peter ,stint at  
the ,signe of the ,white ,horse in      
,giltspurre ,street1 and ,simon ,miller 
at the ,starre in ,st4 ,paul's          
,churchyard1 ,,mdclx4 ,page #cc4        
,london1 #affj4 ,quoted by ,mnz1 op4    
cit41 vol4 #b1 p4 #bjh1 who first       
discovered the reference4 ,since        
,fialetti died in #afch1 the reference  
to ,rembrandt's ground is likely to be  
by ,brown or an anonymous contemporary  
editor4  #ah ,abraham ,bosse1 ,traict   
des manieres de graver en taille douce  
4441 ,paris1 #afde1 p4 #da4 ,bosse's    
soft-ground formula1 for comparison's   
sake1 is three parts wax1 two parts     
mastic1 and one part asphaltum1 which is
 very close to the cited ,rembrandt     
ground4  #ai ,numerous similar grounds  
are given in ,e4 ,s4 ,lumsden1 ,the ,art
 of ,etching 7,london3 ,seeley ,service 
and ,co41 #aibd72 reprint 7,new ,york3  
,dover ,publications1 ,inc41 #aifb71 pp4

 #ce-ch4  #bj ,loc4 cit4 7footnote #ag74
  #ba ,some etchers1 however1 prefer    
this effect4 ,cf4 ,lumsden1 op4 cit41 p4
 #db4  #bb ,mnz1 op4 cit41 vol4 #b1 p4  
#ac1 quotes this letter without giving  
the source4 ,evidently this is the first
 written reference to white ground4  #bc
 ,op4 cit41 pp4 #df-dh4 ,knowledge of   
the process seems to have disappeared   
completely during the #ahth and #aith   
centuries4 ,hubert ,herkomer1 writing in
 #ahib1 believed that he had invented   
the white ground for the first time     
7,etching and ,mezzotint ,engraving1    
,london1 #ahib1 pp4 #d and #be74  #bd   
,the etching is ,hind #db4 ,the drawing 
7,benesch #ba1 ,hofstede de ,groot #hic7
 is in the ,british ,museum4 ,the black 
chalk has been confirmed 7see footnote  
#be74 ,it is also clear that the backing
 is not graphite1 which would1 of       
course1 show up on a black ground as    
well as a white one4  #be ,the etching  
is ,hind #ahg4 ,the drawing 7,benesch   
#geh1 ,hofstede de ,groot #hif7 is in   

the ,british ,museum4 ,some scholarly   
misinformation has unfortunately been   
passed on for years4 ,mnz1 op4 cit41    
vol4 #b1 p4 #fe1 cites ,jan ,six        
7,rembrandt's ,vorbereiding 4441 ,onze  
,kunst1 #aijh1 ,,ii1 p4 #ec71 who in    
turn cites the personal observation of  
,a4 ,m4 ,hind of the ,british ,museum1  
to the effect that this drawing of      
,anslo was backed with black chalk4 ,the
 two drawings had apparently not been   
lifted from their mounts in something   
like sixty years4 ,in answer to the     
author's inquiry1 ,mr4 ,j4 ,k4          
,rowlands1 ,assistant ,keeper1          
,department of ,prints and ,drawings1   
the ,british ,museum1 very kindly wrote3
 ,i can now tell you about the backs of 
,h4 #db and ,h4 #ahg that is1 the       
drawings for these two prints1 which    
have now been lifted4 ,the reverse of   
,the ,woman ,bathing ,diana at the ,bath
 has the remains of black unrefined     
chalk upon it and the portrait of ,anslo
 is backed with ,ochre tempera4 ,i think

 this news will interest you4 ,i am most
 grateful to ,mr4 ,rowlands and his     
staff for their trouble and kindness4   
#bf ,an excellent example of this type  
of line is seen in the horizon lines on 
the left1 which in this case were added 
only after several proofs had been      
pulled from the plate4 ,the addition of 
these lines constitutes the difference  
between the recorded first and second   
states of this print4  #bg ,the         
documents on this story were first      
published by ,bredius in #aiji          
7,rembrandt als ,plaatsnijder1          
,oud-,holland1 v4 #bg1 pp4 #aab f47 and 
have been frequently cited since then4  
,the print is the portrait of ,jan      
,antonides van der ,linden 7,hind #bfh74
  #bh ,confusion has arisen over a note1
 clearly in ,rembrandt's hand1 on one of
 his drawings 7,benesch #acea1 ,hofstede
 de ,groot #gfc1 dated about #afed-ee74 
,the ,dutch text is given in ,benesch1  
op4 cit41 vol4 #f1 p4 #cgd4 ,it reads1  
,in order to etch 4441 and gives a      

recipe consisting of turpentine and     
turpentine oil4 ,this1 of course1 could 
not possibly be a mordant4 ,mnz         
discusses it 7op4 cit41 vol4 #b1 p4 #ad7
 and concludes that with the addition of
 mastic1 this could be a kind of        
stop-out varnish4 ,we are not likely to 
come closer to an answer for this       
cryptic inscription4  #bi ,coppier1 op4 
cit4  #cj ,ibid41 p4 #aag4 ,detail of   
plate for ,hind #bgg1 dated #afed4  #ca 
,bosse1 op4 cit41 pp4 #e and #aa4       
,vitriol is copper or iron sulfate1     
saltpeter is potassium nitrate1 and alum
 is an aluminum sulfate salt4 ,bosse's  
other two acids are distilled pure      
vinegar 7acetic acid7 and a boiled      
mixture of vinegar and chloride salts4  
,both are relatively weak4 ,my thanks to
 ,dr4 ,robert ,p4 ,multhauf for his     
advice on #agth-century chemistry4  #cb 
,felix ,brunner 7,a ,handbook of        
,graphic ,reproduction ,processes1 ,new 
,york3 ,hastings ,house1 #aifb1 p4      
#abd71 suggests that ,rembrandt may have

 used ferric chloride1 a weaker mordant1
 around #afdj4  #cc ,rosenberg1         
,rembrandt3 ,life and ,work 7,london3   
,phaidon ,press1 rev4 ed41 #aifd71 p4   
#ccj4  #cd ,my gratitude to ,jacob      
,kainen for first pointing out the      
existence of these disembodied spirits4 
#ce ,arnold ,houbraken1 quoted in       
,hofstede de ,groot1 ,die ,urkunden 4441
 op4 cit41 no4 #djg1 p4 #dga4     ,u4,s4
 ,,government ,,printing ,,office3 #aiff
  ,for sale by the ,superintendent of   
,documents1 ,u4,s4 ,government ,printing
 ,office ,washington1 ,d4 ,c4 #bjdjb    
,price #bj cents