The Great Jewish Bride

Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)

1635 · Etching; second state of five · Drawings and Prints

Rembrandt's first wife, Saskia Uylenburgh, whom he had married the previous year, was no doubt the model for this print, though it was not meant as a portrait. The intended subject of the print is evident in its later, finished state: the Jewish queen Esther, who is about to approach King Ahasuerus to expose Haman's intent to murder the Jews. This impression is unfinished; Rembrandt completed the lower half in a later state.

Artist

Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)

Date

1635

Medium

Etching; second state of five

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929