The Descent from the Cross by Torchlight

Date1654

Maker Rembrandt van Rijn Dutch, 1606-1669

Label TextIlluminated by a single torch, mourners gently lower the dead body of Christ from the cross on the night of Good Friday, the darkest moment in Christian belief. Rembrandt's manipulation of ink heightened the drama and pathos of the scene, pushing the medium to be more expressive than ever before. He minimally sketched areas flattened by torchlight, while other details are swallowed up in unrelenting blackness.

Object number60.104

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Durer, Rembrandt, and Goya: Old Masters Prints from the Seattle Art Museum Collection", May 31, 2001 - January 1, 2002 (5/31/2001 - 1/1/2002) Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Rembrandt Prints From The Seattle Art Museum's Permanent Collection", 6/3 - 7/25/93 in conjunction with Dutch and Flemish Paintings: The Harold Samuel Collection. (06/03/1993 - 07/25/1993)

Credit LineNorman and Amelia Davis Collection

Dimensions8 1/4 x 6 5/16 in. (21 x 16.1 cm)

MediumEtching and drypoint