Saint Francis beneath a Tree, Praying

Saint Francis beneath a Tree, Praying

Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Rembrandt worked on this print in two campaigns in the same year. He began the print in drypoint, delineating only the tree, the saint, the crucifix, and the monk in the background on the right. He even signed the print at that point—his signature is still visible underneath the final larger and darker signature. The second state, shown here, is more finished, with details such as the tower in the background, foliage in the lower left, and the area between Saint Francis and the tree trunk added in etching. Rembrandt played with degrees of finish—while the saint's features are finely detailed, the figure of the second monk on the right is merely suggested with a series of staccato outlines.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Saint Francis beneath a Tree, PrayingSaint Francis beneath a Tree, PrayingSaint Francis beneath a Tree, PrayingSaint Francis beneath a Tree, PrayingSaint Francis beneath a Tree, Praying

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.