St Jerome beside a Pollard Willow, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1648
etching, h 178mm × w 132mm More details
In this print, Rembrandt followed a working method that he used on numerous occasions. He began the scene as a detailed study of a proto-Dutch pollard willow, which he etched in the copperplate; he then added St Jerome and his trusty companion in drypoint. With deft strokes, Rembrandt scratched a tall waterfall in the background, a setting befitting a hermit in the wilderness.
