In this tender Rembrandt Beggars Receiving Alms at the Door of a House, 1648, through Rembrandt’s extraordinary vision we witness a humble exchange between a needy family and their donor. The male figurehead of the group sets his gaze downwards showing a brazen appearance of gratitude and humility as he accepts the offering of alms. Despite their hardships, the family shows resilience and strength, bound by their togetherness. Precise crosshatching renders our subjects in exceptional detail within their environment, thereby emphasizing the personal feeling of the scene. Marked by poverty, each fold of tattered clothing provides telling insight into the family, but this works greatness lies in the subtle gestures and expressions that communicate empathy for humanity.

Created in 1648, this etching and drypoint is signed and dated by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (Leiden, 1606- Amsterdam, 1669) in the plate in the lower right ‘Rembrandt f. 1648’. According to the New Hollstein Dutch, this work is a state III of V, Nowell-Usticke State IV (of VI) impression; Biörklund State III (of III); White & Boon State III (of III); Hind State II (of II).

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:

Rembrandt Beggars Receiving Alms at the Door of a House, 1648 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices accompanying the final sale of the work):

1. Bartsch. The Illustrated Bartsch Vol. 50.  Edited by Stephanie S. Dickey.  New York: Abaris Books, 1981. Illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 176.

2. Biörklund, George, Rembrandt’s Etchings: True and False, 1968. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. BB 48-C.

3. Hind, Arthur. A Catalogue of Rembrandt’s Etchings. New York, 1967. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 233.

4. Hinterding, Erik and Rutgers, Jaco. The New Hollstein Dutch & Flemish Etchings, Engraving and Woodcuts, 1450-1700: Rembrandt Text II 1636-1665 nos. 156-314. Edited by Ger Luijten. Amsterdam: Sound and Vision Publishers, 2013. Listed as catalogue raisonné no. 243.

5. Hinterding, Erik and Rutgers, Jaco. The New Hollstein Dutch & Flemish Etchings, Engraving and Woodcuts, 1450-1700: Rembrandt Plates II 1636-1648 nos. 139-246. Edited by Ger Luijten. Amsterdam: Sound and Vision Publishers, 2013. Illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 243.

6. Mϋnz, Ludwig. Rembrandt’s Etchings: Reproductions of the Whole Original Etched Work, Vol. 1.  London:Phaidon Press, 1952.  Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 316 (another example illustrated).

7. Mϋnz, Ludwig. Rembrandt’s Etchings: Reproductions of the Whole Original Etched Work, Vol.2. London: Phaidon Press, 1952.  Listed and as catalogue raisonné no. 271.

8. Nowell-Usticke, G.W. Rembrandt’s Etchings. Narberth, 1988. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 176.

9. White, Christopher & Karel Boon. Rembrandt’s Etchings, Vol. I: Text.  Amsterdam, 1969. Listed as catalogue raisonné no. B.176

10. White, Christopher & Karel Boon. Rembrandt’s Etchings, Vol. II: Plates. Amsterdam, 1969. Illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. B.176.

11.  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.

About the Framing:

Rembrandt Beggars Receiving Alms at the Door of a House, 1648 is framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, presented in a complementary moulding and finished with linen-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.