Rembrandt As an Etcher; A Study of the Artist at Work.

Not since 1911 has there been a serious study of the development of Rembrandt's methods in his etchings. Now, in this two-volume work, Christopher White examines Rembrandt's development of the medium he made so much his own, analyzes the technical, stylistic, and iconographic features of selected works, and discusses their significance and place in Rembrandt's work as a whole. The distinguishing feature of this study is the analysis of different states of the etchings, usually considered the exclusive preserve of the print connoisseur. In many cases, and particularly in Rembrandt's, the artist's prints are as revealing of his working procedure as are X-rays of his oils, and the author, former Assistant Keeper of the Department of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum, traces the relationship of the etchings to the master's drawings. Through his penetrating study and analysis of the etchings we become and armchair witness of the artist's struggles and desires and are given a unique opportunity to observe him at work. The separate volume of plates contains more than 340 etchings, exactingly reproduced, with catalogue notes; the second volume offers over 200 ages of commentary on selected etchings. This work is not just another catalogue of Rembrandt's prints it is a scholarly and valuable contribution to an understanding of the artist and of the art of etching.