In addition to an extensive oeuvre of paintings and drawings, Rembrandt van Rijn also produced about 290 prints. His mastery in this area is undisputed; he is generally regarded as a great etching artist, if not as the greatest. Rembrandt already gained European fame during his lifetime, precisely through his graphic work, which because of its reproducibility had a much wider distribution than his paintings or drawings. Rembrandt's casual lines, the unique deep black in many of his etchings and his masterful use of the drypoint technique were already popular at the time and his work was much sought after by print collectors of his time.
Etching was not an afterthought for Rembrandt. His prints cannot be seen as inferior by-products of his much more famous paintings. Rembrandt has been seriously involved in printmaking throughout his active life, during the early period as a starting artist in his native city of Leiden, but also in his heyday as a successful master in Amsterdam. Only at the end of his life did he slowly give up etching.
The Rembrandt House Museum has an almost complete collection of Rembrandt's world-famous etchings. The current collection gives an almost complete overview of his graphic work. Of the approximately 290 etchings by his hand, 260 are present in the Rembrandthuis.
The Museum webshop has made a number of products with images of etchings by Rembrandt, such as coasters, cards, magnets, napkins, a tea towel and more. View the museum shop products in this category. Especially products with the masterful self-portraits are a beautiful museum gift.
