VAN RIJN, REMBRANDT (1606-1669)

“Christ Preaching (The Hundred Gilder Plate)” (c.1643-49)
Heliogravure (produced c.1900)
28 x 39.5cm
Signed in plate
*estate of the late Dr Roy Marginson AM
 
Rembrandt was an innovative and prolific master across three mediums. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in the history of art & the most important in Dutch art history. Unlike most Dutch masters of the 17th century, Rembrandt's works depict a wide range of style & subject matter, from portraits & self-portraits to landscapes, genre scenes, allegorical and historical scenes, and biblical & mythological themes. His contributions to art came in a period of great wealth & cultural achievement, called the Dutch Golden Age, when Dutch art (especially Dutch painting), although in many ways antithetical to the Baroque style that dominated Europe, was extremely prolific and innovative & gave rise to important new genres. Like many artists of the Dutch Golden Age, such as Jan Vermeer of Delft, Rembrandt was also an avid art collector and dealer.
 
This was Rembrandt's largest, most well known and most expensive etching; the huge price even referenced in the title of this work. The print represents Christ healing the sick and encouraging the approach of children, while the Pharisees on the left debate with him. This heliogravure (photographic etching process invented in the 19th century) was printed using the original plate around 1900, and bears the same measurements as the original plate.
 
This work was discovered in the collection of long time Melbourne University Vice-Principal, Dr. Ray Marginson AM, responsible for founding the Potter Gallery.