Christ Presented to the People (Ecce Homo), Rembrandt van Rijn, 1655
drypoint with plate tone and pen in black, printed on Japanese paper, h 360mm × w 450mm More details
Rembrandt achieved marvellous effects with drypoint. The burr, the ragged metal edge on each side of the incised grooves, produces a velvety effect. This technique, however, has one disadvantage: the burr wears away with each impression. Accordingly, Rembrandt had to rework his copperplates continually. Here he reinforced various passages with new lines. He also removed the crowd before the dais. Now Pilate seems to address us directly.
