Christ Presented to the People

Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In this fourth state of Christ Presented to the People, Rembrandt cut down his printing plate at the top so that he would no longer have to add an extra strip to the shorter sheets of japan paper. He also added further shading and detail to the wall on the right. A comparison of this impression with the second-state impression on view nearby indicates that Rembrandt’s drypoint lines had begun to wear down, as they were not printing with the deep, furry richness of the second state.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art