According to German legend, Faust is an educated man who forsakes God and makes a deal with the devil to exchange his soul for knowledge. This dramatic Rembrandt etching Faust, c. 1652 highlights a supernatural moment in which a magic disk enters Faust's study, floating near the lofty glass window. Faust turns in awe, as this disk shines a ray of light upon him, illuminating Faust and causing him to stand out amidst the dark background of his study. Rembrandt utilizes intricate lines to add a sense of depth and perspective to this piece, drawing our eye towards the center of the work, in which Faust and the disk appear as if in the midst of a conversation. We cannot quite discern the purpose of this magic disk but feel as if we are witnessing a convergence between the realms of the real and the fantastic.

Created c. 1652, there are, according to Nowell-Usticke, approximately only 225-500 know impressions of this work (Usticke 12, B. 270) According to Nowell-Usticke, this work is a State V (of VII) impression; Biörklund State IV (of IV); White & Boon State III (of III); Hind State III (of III); printed on a fine laid paper with a partial, unidentified watermark.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:

Rembrandt etching Faust, c. 1652  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. 270 (another example illustrated) on page 223.

2. Biörklund, George, Rembrandt's Etchings: True and False, 1968. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. BB 52-4.

3. Hind, Arthur. A Catalogue of Rembrandt's Etchings. New York, 1967. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 260 on pg. 107.

4. M?nz, Ludwig. Rembrandt's Etchings: Reproductions of the Whole Original Etched Work, Vol. 1. London: Phaidon Press, 1952. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 323 (another example illustrated).

5. M?nz, Ludwig. Rembrandt's Etchings: Reproductions of the Whole Original Etched Work, Vol.2. London: Phaidon Press, 1952. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 275.

6. Nowell-Usticke, G.W. Rembrandt's Etchings. Narberth, 1988. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 270.

7. White, Christopher & Karel Boon. Rembrandt's Etchings, Vol. I: Text. Amsterdam, 1969. Listed as catalogue raisonné no. B.270.

8. White, Christopher & Karel Boon. Rembrandt's Etchings, Vol. II: Plates. Amsterdam, 1969. Illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. B.270.

9. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.

About the Framing:

Rembrandt etching Faust, c. 1652 is framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, presented in a complimentary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.