PHILOSOPHER 1878 Rembrandt Saint Matthew and the Angel VICTORIAN ENGRAVING

Original 1878 5 7/8 inch x 7 inch engraving titled THE PHILOSOPHER

The title is questionable as the image is of St Matthew and the angel; the bearded evangelist seated at a desk, half-length directed to right, writing in a book with a quill, touching his beard with his left hand.

From an engraving by Anthony Masson (1636 - 1700).

After the painting “Saint Matthew and the Angel” by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606 - 1669). A Dutch draughtsman, painter, and printmaker. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in the history of art and the most important in Dutch art history. Unlike most Dutch masters of the 17th century, Rembrandt's works depict a wide range of style and subject matter, from portraits and self-portraits to landscapes, genre scenes, allegorical and historical scenes, biblical and mythological themes as well as animal studies. His contributions to art came in a period of great wealth and cultural achievement that historians call the Dutch Golden Age, when Dutch art, although in many ways antithetical to the Baroque style that dominated Europe, was extremely prolific and innovative, and gave rise to important new genres.

Published in the Art Journal by J.S. Virtue & Co. Ltd., London.

Page size 12 3/8 inch x 9 1/4 inch

The engraving is in very good condition. Reverse side blank.