NARRATOR:
The Norton Simon Museum owns nearly 300 etchings by Rembrandt. This print from 1661 is one of his last works in this medium. It depicts a nude woman amidst the rich drapery of her bedroom, holding an arrow. She turns away from us enticingly, her face hidden from view. Scholars have suggested she is Cleopatra, the legendary Queen of Egypt, who took her own life in a desperate attempt to escape capture by the Romans.
Rembrandt delighted in subtle effects of light and shadow that reveal a body of near classical proportions—a muscular back, strong thighs, and—in a characteristically human touch—a foot curled gently behind an ankle... Strokes in different directions lend tone and texture to the fabrics—the soft bedding… the heavy folds of the drapery… The woman sits on her discarded shift. Its sleeve trails off the side of the bed, accentuated by long, jagged lines, added to the plate later, after the first printing. At the left, near her arm, you can just make out a face in the darkness.... Is that what she gazes at? Is this a real person? A vision? A memory?
An air of silent mystery pervades the scene, befitting the ambiguity of the subject. After this print, Rembrandt executed only one more etching, devoting the rest of his career to drawing and painting. He died in 1669 at the age of 63, after a life of many unexpected turns and personal hardships.
Details
- Artist Name: Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669)
- Title: Woman with the Arrow (Cleopatra)
- Date: 1661
- Medium: Etching, drypoint and burin
- Edition: State II
- Dimensions: comp: 8-1/16 x 5-13/16 in. (20.5 x 14.8 cm); sheet: 8-1/8 x 5-15/16 in. (20.6 x 15.1 cm)
- Credit Line: Norton Simon Art Foundation
- Accession Number: M.1977.32.115.G
- Copyright: © Norton Simon Art Foundation
Object Information
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best,2010, cat. 1452 p. 408
Additional Artwork by Artist
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