The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds (B., Holl. 44; New Holl. 125; H. 120)
Rembrandt's 'The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds' is an etching, engraving, and drypoint from 1634 showing the biblical moment of angelic announcement. This impression represents the third state of six and exhibits the master printmaker's dynamic use of light and shadow.
- Medium
- Etching, engraving and drypoint, 1634, a good impression of New Hollstein's third state (of six), printing with good contrasts, on paper with a Foolscap with a Five-Pointed Collar watermark (cf. Hinterding E.c.) and countermark with initials IVB, unframed
- Location
- Sotheby's, New York, NY
- Spotted At
- Auction House · Sotheby'sView on map
🔨 Auction Lot
Old Master Prints
June 30, 2021
Estimate: $8,000 to $12,000
Lot 95
Artists in conversation
Jacques Callot
French · b. 1592
Callot was a master Baroque printmaker who used etching to create deeply narrative religious scenes with extraordinary tonal range and dramatic lighting effects that closely parallel Rembrandt's approach in this piece.
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione
Italian · b. 1609
Castiglione created biblical and pastoral etched scenes featuring angelic figures and shepherds rendered with rich chiaroscuro contrasts, making his work strikingly similar in both subject matter and printmaking technique to this Rembrandt composition.
Hercules Segers
Dutch · b. 1589
As a Dutch Golden Age printmaker working in the same era as Rembrandt, Segers pushed the expressive boundaries of etching and drypoint with dramatic tonal contrasts and atmospheric depth that strongly echo the visual language of this biblical scene.
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