Clement de Jonghe, Printseller
1651
Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669)
Not on View

Clement de Jonghe (1634/5–77), a successful Amsterdam print seller, art dealer and publisher, was also an avid collector. De Jonghe owned a large number of Rembrandt’s copper plates, and in later years, made new impressions of them for sale.

Here, still wearing his hat and gloves, de Jonghe appears to have just sat down, if only momentarily so. His frontal, three-quarter, squared silhouette is described in the first state with an open, loose network of etched lines and minimal shading around his face. In subsequent states, six in all, Rembrandt attended to details of tone and shading, using drypoint and burin rather than overall compositional changes. These effects bring added depth and dimension to the sitter’s hat, his collar and particularly the area around his eyes. In the fifth state, Rembrandt burnished a triangular section of the chair back and made further tonal adjustments to de Jonghe’s face and hat.

How could such an informal portrait, lacking information about the sitter’s identity and status, have appealed to de Jonghe or other art collectors in his circle? Clearly Rembrandt directed his efforts to aesthetic challenges—demonstrating his skill and innovation as an etcher by differentiating between states, as opposed to delivering a straight-forward description of the sitter. Perhaps it was precisely this display of Rembrandt’s talents as an etcher that appealed to de Jonghe and other art lovers.

Details

  • Artist Name: Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669)
  • Title: Clement de Jonghe, Printseller
  • Date: 1651
  • Medium: Etching, drypoint and burin
  • Edition: State III
  • Dimensions: plate: 8-3/16 x 6-3/8 in. (20.8 x 16.2 cm); sheet: 8-1/4 x 6-3/8 in. (21.0 x 16.2 cm)
  • Credit Line: Norton Simon Art Foundation
  • Accession Number: M.1978.02.5.G

Object Information

The Familiar Face: Portrait Prints by Rembrandt

  • Norton Simon Museum, 2009-12-04 to 2010-3-22

Rembrandt Portrait Etchings

  • Norton Simon Museum, 1986-05-22 to 1987-08-30

Eye-to-Eye with Rembrandt: Etched Portraits and Self-Portraits

  • Norton Simon Museum, 1994-05-26 to 1995-01-15

From Line into Image: Etchings by Rembrandt Van Rijn

  • Norton Simon Museum, 1992-01-30 to 1992-09-06

Etchings and Engravings by Master Printmakers: A Technical Approach to Intaglio Processes

  • Norton Simon Museum, 1988-08-04 to 1989-01-22

Rembrandt Etchings

  • Norton Simon Museum, 1978-08-10 to 1980
  • Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1496 p. 413

Additional Artwork by Artist

A Nude Man Standing, Another Seated Rembrandt van Rijn c.1646 (Basan impression)
Beggar Leaning on a Stick, Facing Left Rembrandt van Rijn c. 1630
Beggars Receiving Alms at the Door of a House Rembrandt van Rijn 1648 (Basan impression)

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