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The Star of the Kings: A Night Piece

A work made of etching, drypoint, and engraving on ivory laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of etching, drypoint, and engraving on ivory laid paper.

Date:

c. 1651

Artist:

Rembrandt van Rijn
Dutch, 1606-1669

About this artwork

Rembrandt likely knew Jan van de Velde the Younger’s dark yet straightforward rendition of the Twelfth Night festivities, in which the artist bathed his star-singers in sufficient lantern light so that their features could be made out. In contrast, Rembrandt submerged his revelers in pitch blackness, with only a glimmer of light emanating from their star. Carrying it was an important role (here assumed by a child), and at the end of each verse, pulling a rope set the star in motion. Rembrandt suggested a second group of singers in the far left, clustered around their own tiny, bright star.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Rembrandt van Rijn

Title

The Star of the Kings: A Night Piece

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.

Made 1646–1656

Medium

Etching, drypoint, and engraving on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

Image/plate: 9.3 × 14.2 cm (3 11/16 × 5 5/8 in.); Sheet: 9.5 × 14.4 cm (3 3/4 × 5 11/16 in.)

Credit Line

The Charles Deering Collection

Reference Number

1927.5136

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/49037/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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