San Diego Museum of Art - The Fourth Oriental Head

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Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn

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The Fourth Oriental Head

Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (AKA Rembrandt Harmensz.van Rijn), Dutch, (July 15, 1606–1669)

Creation date: ca. 1635

Creation place: Netherlands

Other Information

Type: Etching

Medium and Support: Etching on laid paper

Credit Line: Gift of Ruth A. Allen

Accession Number: 1995.78

Dimensions: 6 1/4 in. x 5 5/16 in. (15.88 cm x 13.49 cm)

Provenance

Ruth A. Allen, Coronado, California ( - November 18, 1995)

San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, California (November 18, 1995 - )

Label Copy

This is one of a series of four fanciful character studies conventionally known as the "Oriental Heads." The four heads were first etched by Jan Lievens (1607-1674), who shared a studio with Rembrandt in the early 1630s. Rembrandt then copied the heads, taking the general form of each man but devising new systems of lines and cross-hatching to fill out the figure.

It was once suggested that Bol, rather than Rembrandt, made the copies and that the "Rembrandt geretuckert" (Rembrandt retouched) signature on three of the four prints in the series referred only to Rembrandt's final work on the plates. The style of the works, though, is Rembrandt's own, and the prints are now universally thought to be wholly his work. They are, of course, among the works that served as formative models for the young Bol.
Last Updated: 8/21/2018

Exhibition

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

The Age of Rembrandt: Etchings from Holland's Golden Century San Diego Museum of Art , 10/13/2001 - 1/13/2002

The Famous Face: Portraiture in Prints from Dürer to Warhol University of San Diego , 3/2/2007 - 5/27/2007

Visible Vaults The San Diego Museum of Art , 11/12/2016 - 00/00/00

Bibliography

This object has the following bibliographic references:

Mr. Steven Kern. The Age of Rembrandt: San Diego Museum of Art. San Diego, California, 2001
Page Number: 13

Mr. Steven Kern. The Age of Rembrandt: San Diego Museum of Art. San Diego, California, 2001
Page Number: 18 no. 3, 22, Figure Number: 3

Julie Dunn, ed. The Famous Face: The University of San Diego. San Diego, California, 2007
Page Number: 15 no. 8

Dr. Malcolm Warner. The Famous Face: The University of San Diego. San Diego, California, 2007
Page Number: 9, Figure Number: 8

Marks

Inscription, Left center:

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