The Phoenix or the Statue Overthrown, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1658
etching, h 180mm × w 183mm More details
This print soon came to be called ‘het raare zinnebeeld van de phenix’ (the odd symbol of the phoenix). Despite much speculation, exactly what Rembrandt depicted here remains unclear. We see a phoenix, the mythical bird that rises from its ashes, flanked by two angels blowing loudly on their trumpets. A statue of a nude man toppled from its base lies in the foreground.
