Christ Disputing with the Doctors, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1652
etching, h 126mm × w 214mm More details
The theme of Christ and the doctors requires the men visibly to express their astonishment at the unexpected wisdom of a 12-year-old boy. Perhaps this is what attracted Rembrandt to the subject: in any event, he depicted it repeatedly. It is quite conceivable that he wished to work out this hardly completed composition further. However, nothing came of it.
