The Story
; ? </em>, no. ; ? private collection, Edinburgh, c. 1823-25;{According to a label on the reverse of the panel, the painting was cleaned by Chalmers & son Picture Cleaner, located at nos. 118 and 153 High Street in Edinburgh. </em> [anonymous section], London (Christie's), 16 November 1936, no. ; dealers Benjamin and Nathan Katz, Dieren, 1937, 1938;{Dealer cat. Katz 1937, p. 21, no. 70; Dealer cat. Katz 1938, p. 22, no. } dealer The Schaeffer Galleries (Benjamin and Nathan Katz's American agent), New York, 1937, 1938;{Dealer cat. , no.
1; according to a printed invitation for the opening preserved at the GRI (Schaeffer Galleries records, 1925-1985, acc. no. 910148), the painting was exhibited by The Schaeffer Galleries, New York, at the Los Angeles Museum from 5 April to 1 May 1938. Also exhibited at the Tulsa Art Association, Tulsa Oklahoma, 1938; FLNY Photo Archive, acc. no. } purchased from the dealers Benjamin and Nathan Katz by the dealer Alois Miedl, 2 August 1940;{Muller/Schretlin 2002, p. } from whom, fl.
Executed in height 63.5 cm x width 48 cm, measuring width: 48; height: 63.5, the surface rewards close looking. Rembrandt van Rijn builds the composition through layered glazes and a tightly controlled palette, letting cool shadows recede so that the warm, lit passages step forward. The brushwork shifts from the precise to the almost dissolved — a hallmark of mature Baroque practice.
“A silence so complete it becomes its own witness.”
