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Lot Essay
The provenance of this sheet almost reads like a 'Who's who' of the collecting history of Rembrandt's etchings, including some of the earliest and most discerning collectors, connoisseurs and traders of Rembrandt prints, going all the way back to the artist's lifetime: Six, Houbraken, Barnard, Woodhouse, Hibbert, Woodburn, Hubert, Gerstenberg, Whittemore, Zinser, Stogdon, and finally, of course, Sam Josefowitz. These former custodians certainly knew what they were acquiring: an outstanding impression of this haunting portrait.
Pieter Haaringh was the younger cousin (or possibly nephew) of Thomas Jacobsz. Haaringh (circa 1586-1660), who was the Concierge or chief administrator of the Amsterdam Town Hall, a post which included responsibilities as Bailiff to the Court of Insolvents. It was in this role that Thomas was in charge of the bankruptcy proceedings and sales of Rembrandt’s possessions following his bankruptcy in 1656. Prior to his declaration of insolvency in 1656, Rembrandt had tried to raise some funds by holding an auction of objects from his collection in 1655 at the Keizerskron pub in Amsterdam. It was Pieter Gerritsz. Haaringh (1609-1685), whose portrait we see here, who acted as the auctioneer. He was, as Nick Stogdon explained, an officer at the Weeskamer (Board of Orphans) in Amsterdam and as such responsible for voluntary sales, to avoid insolvencies.
Rembrandt had probably already known the Haaringhs before his financial difficulties caught up with him, especially the older, Thomas, who was a collector of drawing and prints. It is however unlikely to be a coincidence that Rembrandt produced a printed portrait of each of them in the year 1655, as it became increasingly clear that he was unable to repay his debts on the house on Sint Antoniesbreestraat. Perhaps he wanted to ingratiate himself to the two men who were to have a significant influence on his pecuniary circumstances, perhaps he simply struck up a friendship with them. It is also possible that they themselves commissioned these portrait prints as a last, friendly gesture to provide some income for the artist. The fact that the plate for the present print remained, at least for a while, in the Haaringh family, may indicate that it was indeed a commission.
The portrait of Thomas Haaringh (fig. 1), the 'Old Haaringh', as he is commonly known, is one of the few prints in Rembrandt's oeuvre executed entirely in drypoint (see also lots 29 & 44). In the present print, presumably created shortly after, Rembrandt returned to using etching in combination with drypoint. The overall composition of the two images is similar, with each of the sitters shown at half-length, seated and facing the viewer, in front of a window. In the portrait of the younger auctioneer, however, he placed him at an angle and further removed from the window, thus creating more spatial depth. There is not much to see in the background, though, as the room is shrouded in darkness. What little light there is falls onto the sitter's gaunt face, his splendid white collar and - already muted - on his cuffs, hands and the buttons of his jacket.
The first state exists in about a dozen examples only, most of which are printed on Japanese paper. In the present second state, Rembrandt further darkened some areas, burnished the sleeves to create the lighter cuffs, and added a few tiny touches to the sitter's facial features, which make him look more present, and even more severe. Oddly, he also introduced the curtain rod in front of the window, which does not seem to carry any curtains. The purpose of this dark, slightly vertical line appears to be a purely formal one. It is a visual trick, which leads the eye further back and lends depth both to the window bay and to the room itself, which does look somewhat shallow in the first state. The third state is posthumous and shows an 18th century addition in the form of painting on the back wall, presumably intended to disguise wear in the densely worked background.
The present impression is very cleanly wiped, creating stark contrasts between the window, the few bright highlights of his face and collar, and the dark interior. It is the most austere of all of Rembrandt's printed portraits, an extreme exercise in chiaroscuro effects as well as an intense character study. These two tenets, form and content, reflect and inform each other perfectly in this etching, making it - in rich, early impressions such as the present one - unforgettable.
Pieter Haaringh was the younger cousin (or possibly nephew) of Thomas Jacobsz. Haaringh (circa 1586-1660), who was the Concierge or chief administrator of the Amsterdam Town Hall, a post which included responsibilities as Bailiff to the Court of Insolvents. It was in this role that Thomas was in charge of the bankruptcy proceedings and sales of Rembrandt’s possessions following his bankruptcy in 1656. Prior to his declaration of insolvency in 1656, Rembrandt had tried to raise some funds by holding an auction of objects from his collection in 1655 at the Keizerskron pub in Amsterdam. It was Pieter Gerritsz. Haaringh (1609-1685), whose portrait we see here, who acted as the auctioneer. He was, as Nick Stogdon explained, an officer at the Weeskamer (Board of Orphans) in Amsterdam and as such responsible for voluntary sales, to avoid insolvencies.
Rembrandt had probably already known the Haaringhs before his financial difficulties caught up with him, especially the older, Thomas, who was a collector of drawing and prints. It is however unlikely to be a coincidence that Rembrandt produced a printed portrait of each of them in the year 1655, as it became increasingly clear that he was unable to repay his debts on the house on Sint Antoniesbreestraat. Perhaps he wanted to ingratiate himself to the two men who were to have a significant influence on his pecuniary circumstances, perhaps he simply struck up a friendship with them. It is also possible that they themselves commissioned these portrait prints as a last, friendly gesture to provide some income for the artist. The fact that the plate for the present print remained, at least for a while, in the Haaringh family, may indicate that it was indeed a commission.
The portrait of Thomas Haaringh (fig. 1), the 'Old Haaringh', as he is commonly known, is one of the few prints in Rembrandt's oeuvre executed entirely in drypoint (see also lots 29 & 44). In the present print, presumably created shortly after, Rembrandt returned to using etching in combination with drypoint. The overall composition of the two images is similar, with each of the sitters shown at half-length, seated and facing the viewer, in front of a window. In the portrait of the younger auctioneer, however, he placed him at an angle and further removed from the window, thus creating more spatial depth. There is not much to see in the background, though, as the room is shrouded in darkness. What little light there is falls onto the sitter's gaunt face, his splendid white collar and - already muted - on his cuffs, hands and the buttons of his jacket.
The first state exists in about a dozen examples only, most of which are printed on Japanese paper. In the present second state, Rembrandt further darkened some areas, burnished the sleeves to create the lighter cuffs, and added a few tiny touches to the sitter's facial features, which make him look more present, and even more severe. Oddly, he also introduced the curtain rod in front of the window, which does not seem to carry any curtains. The purpose of this dark, slightly vertical line appears to be a purely formal one. It is a visual trick, which leads the eye further back and lends depth both to the window bay and to the room itself, which does look somewhat shallow in the first state. The third state is posthumous and shows an 18th century addition in the form of painting on the back wall, presumably intended to disguise wear in the densely worked background.
The present impression is very cleanly wiped, creating stark contrasts between the window, the few bright highlights of his face and collar, and the dark interior. It is the most austere of all of Rembrandt's printed portraits, an extreme exercise in chiaroscuro effects as well as an intense character study. These two tenets, form and content, reflect and inform each other perfectly in this etching, making it - in rich, early impressions such as the present one - unforgettable.