The Descent from the Cross by Torchlight, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1654
etching and drypoint, printed with light surface tone on Japanese paper, h 205mm × w 162mm More details
Here Rembrandt renders only the lower part of the Cross, with men carefully lowering Christ’s body to be buried. They are deadly still. Someone under the ladder illuminates them with a torch, the only source of light in the scene. Everything immediately around the flame is brightly lit, but slightly further away the details vanish into the darkness of the night.
