Bust of a Man Wearing a High Cap, Three Quarters Right (The Artist's Father?)

 

Rembrandt van Rijn

  1606 - 1669 (biography)

1630  

etching 

4 1/8 x 3 5/16" (105 x 85 mm) platemark 

initialled in plate, upper left image 

 

dated in plate, upper left image; Friederick Quiring's red FQ in a triangle collector's stamp verso (Lugt 1041c) 

Bartsch 321; Hind 22; Biörklund 30-F; White-Boon 321 

heavy, antique-white laid 

between first and second of six 

artist 

18925 

SOLD

The subject of this etching is presumed to be Rembrandt's father. This impression was in the collection of the German collector Friederick Quiring and has his red initial FQ in a triangle collector's stamp on the verso (Lugt 1041c). Annotated in pencil on the verso, top: "Rembrandt / Homme á moustache / relevees et assis (this is the Bartsch title for this work) / collection Quering / ??? / No 321" At the bottom verso is the red stamp and the pencil annotations: "B.321 / S.-I (3) IGXXX / (105 x 86)" Nowell-Eusticke lists a trial proof and 6 states for this etching. The first state, before the plate was cut, measures 107 x 89 and the second state, after trimming the plate, measures 102 x 84. This impression measures 105 x 85 and appears to be an intermediary state, between one and two. The writing on the verso seems to indicate that the writer thought it was a first state and measured the width at one more millimeter than we do. Frederick Quiring was noted for his fine collection of Old Master prints, including Durer, Rembrandt and van Ostade and was know to have sold duplicates. This impression was purchased from Associated American Artists in the 1960's and has a Sylvan Cole signed "Certificate of Authenticity" which is of little help, except as provenance.