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The Descent from the Cross: Second Plate

A work made of etching and burin on ivory laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of etching and burin on ivory laid paper.

Date:

1633

Artist:

Rembrandt van Rijn
Dutch, 1606-1669

About this artwork

Rembrandt’s Descent from the Cross is stylistically unusual and reproductive, unlike most of his prints, which were original designs rather than printed paintings. Rembrandt’s original oil was strongly influenced by an altarpiece of the same subject by Peter Paul Rubens. While Rembrandt likely had a hand in the making of this particular print, he was relatively inexperienced with printmaking on such a large scale, and therefore enlisted the help of engraver Jan van Vliet. This collaboration can be seen in Rembrandt’s spontaneous line and van Vliet’s heavy mechanical handling, particularly in terms of the facial expressions.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Rembrandt van Rijn

Title

The Descent from the Cross: Second Plate

Place

Holland (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1633

Medium

Etching and burin on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

Image: 51.2 × 40.5 cm (20 3/16 × 16 in.); Sheet trimmed within platemark: 52 × 40.5 cm (20 1/2 × 16 in.)

Credit Line

Clarence Buckingham Collection

Reference Number

1938.1755

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/29116/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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