Jan Lutma

Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)

1656 · Etching, engraving, and drypoint; first of four states · Drawings and Prints

Here, Rembrandt depicts Jan Lutma, a master silversmith in Amsterdam, with some of his creations: an object, possibly a candlestick, in his hand and a drinking bowl on the table. Lutma, about seventy-two years old in this portrait, experienced problems with his eyesight as he grew older, which may account for his absent look. Rembrandt printed this sensitive portrait on Japan paper, which imparts a warm tone to the background and heightens the shadows of the dimly lit room. To the upper left of the chair is the circular mark of the eighteenth-century British collector Sir Edward Astley, who occasionally placed his stamp in prominent places within images. His collection was known for its superb Rembrandt etchings.

Artist

Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)

Date

1656

Medium

Etching, engraving, and drypoint; first of four states

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

The Sylmaris Collection, Gift of George Coe Graves, 1920