Seated at his study, an open book in front of him, Rembrandt Jan Cornelis Sylvius, 1633 appears as a wise scholar.  Intricate lines convey his facial characteristics; his creased brow, long beard, and tired eyes show his age. Rembrandt utilizes delicate, cross-hatched lines to contribute a sense of depth and perspective within the work. This is particularly notable in the archway behind the subject’s shoulder; the subject is clearly seated within an architectural structure with multiple rooms. White & Boon identify the sitter as a cousin by marriage and guardian to Saskia, Rembrandt’s wife (p. 121).  White and Boon state, “After several country appointments, he [Jan Cornelis Sylvius] settled in Amsterdam in 1610, first officiating at the Gasthuiskjerk, and after 1622 in the Grote Kerk.  He died in 1638, at the age of 74’ (p. 121).

Created in 1633, this etching is signed and dated in the plate by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (Leiden, 1606 – Amsterdam, 1669) in the center left ‘Rembrandt f. 1633.’ According to New Hollstein Dutch, this work is a state III (of III) impression, Nowell-Usticke III (of III) Biörklund State II (of II); White & Boon State II (of II); Hind State II (of II). According to Nowell-Usticke there are only approximately 125-225 known impressions of this work (Usticke 12, B. 266).

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:

Rembrandt Jan Cornelis Sylvius, 1633 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the 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. 266.

2. Biörklund, George, Rembrandt’s Etchings: True and False, 1968. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. BB 33-H.

3. Hind, Arthur. A Catalogue of Rembrandt’s Etchings. New York, 1967. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 111.

4. Hinterding, Erik and Rutgers, Jaco. The New Hollstein Dutch & Flemish Etchings, Engraving and Woodcuts, 1450-1700: Rembrandt Text I 1625-1635 nos. 1-155. Edited by Ger Luijten. Amsterdam: Sound and Vision Publishers, 2013. Listed as catalogue raisonné no. 124.

5. Hinterding, Erik and Rutgers, Jaco. The New Hollstein Dutch & Flemish Etchings, Engraving and Woodcuts, 1450-1700: Rembrandt Plates I 1625-1634 nos. 1-138. Edited by Ger Luijten. Amsterdam: Sound and Vision Publishers, 2013. Illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 124.

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. 54.

7. Mϋnz, Ludwig. Rembrandt’s Etchings: Reproductions of the Whole Original Etched Work, Vol.2. London: Phaidon Press, 1952.  Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no.49.

8. Nowell-Usticke, G.W. Rembrandt’s Etchings. Narberth, 1988. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. B 266.

9. White, Christopher & Karel Boon. Rembrandt’s Etchings, Vol. I: Text.  Amsterdam, 1969. Listed as catalogue raisonné no. B.266.

10. White, Christopher & Karel Boon. Rembrandt’s Etchings, Vol. II: Plates. Amsterdam, 1969. Illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. B.266.

11. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.

ABOUT THE FRAMING:

Rembrandt Jan Cornelis Sylvius, 1633 is framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, presented in a complementary moulding and finished with linen-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.