Abraham Entertaining the Angels
- Artist
- Rembrandt van Rijn, Dutch, 1606–1669
- Date
- 1656
- made in
- Amsterdam, Netherlands, Europe
- Classification
- Prints
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- image: 6 5/16 x 5 1/8 in. (16 x 13 cm)
plate: 6 5/16 x 5 1/8 in. (16 x 13 cm)
sheet: 6 7/8 x 5 3/8 in. (17.5 x 13.6 cm)
framed: 20 3/8 x 15 3/8 in. (51.8 x 39.1 cm) - Credit Line
- Funds given by The Sidney and Sadie Cohen Foundation in memory of Ilene Cohen Edison
- Rights
- Contact Us
- Object Number
- 104:1994
NOTES
In this print Rembrandt presents God, the bearded gesturing figure at left, when he tells Abraham that his elderly wife Sarah "shall have a son." Sarah, the eavesdropping figure at the cottage door, laughs in disbelief. Rembrandt's masterful use of tone, paper, and drypoint technique enhance the narrative; in this instance, Rembrandt carefully wiped the surface of the plate with ink to veil further the figure of Sarah in the doorway. This not only accentuates her hiding but also points out her ignorance about her visitors, their message, and her fate. Rembrandt's use of a golden Japanese paper contributes a sense of warmth and intimacy to the image. This impression is one of the earliest printed from the copperplate.
Provenance
- 1795
Jan Chalon (1738-1795), Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Paris, France; and London, England [1]
1795 -
Christian Josi (d.1828), London, England and Amsterdam, The Netherlands; by inheritance from Chalon [2]
- 1835
Reginald Pole Carew (1753-1835), Cornwall, England, purchased from Josi through Thomas Philipe, London, England [3]
1835/05/31 - 1840
William Esdaile (1758-1837), London, England, probably purchased at Carew sale through Mr. B. Wheatley, London, England, May 13, 1835, lot no. 34 [4]
1840/06/11-16
In sale of prints and drawings from Esdaile estate, London, England, Christie's, June 11-16, 1840, lot no. 627 [5]
- 1961
Alfred Strölin (1871-1954), Lausanne, Switzerland, or his son, Alfred Strölin (1912-1974), Lausanne, Switzerland and Paris, France [6]
1961/06/07 - 1994
Private collection, Germany, probably purchased from sale of Strölin collection through Eduard Trautscholdt, Klipstein & Kornfeld, Bern, Switzerland, June 7, 1961, lot no. 11 [7]
- 1994
Artemis Fine Arts, London, England, and C. G. Boerner, Inc., New York, NY, USA; London, England; and Dusseldorf, Germany (owned jointly)
1994 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Artemis Fine Arts, London, England and C. G. Boerner, Inc., New York, NY, USA [8]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is the undated dealer's list provided by C. G. Boerner, Inc., no. 42, in 1994 [SLAM document files].
[1] Jan Chalon [Lugt 439] was a Dutch artist and musician who acquired a large collection of Rembrandt prints. "Apartient à Chalon" ("belonging to Chalon") is inscribed on the verso of this print, in brown ink; the hand is probably William Esdaile's [see note [4]]. On Chalon's death, his collection passed to Josi, his son-in-law [Lugt 439].
[2] Christian Josi, Chalon's son-in-law, [Lugt 573-5] worked as an engraver and art dealer. He probably inherited this print along with the rest of his father-in-law's collection. The verso of this print shows traces of several old inscriptions, now indecipherable.
[3] Josi sold this impression, along with the rest of the Chalon Collection, to Reginald Pole Carew through Thomas Philipe ["A Catalogue of a Very Beautiful Collection of the Etchings by Rembrandt, the Property of the Late Right Hon. Reginald Pole Carew…" Mr. Wheatley, London, May 13-May 15, 1835, lot no. 34].
[4] The print was included in the auction sale of the Pole Carew estate through Mr. B. Wheatley, May 13, 1835, and was sold to an unnamed buyer. See "A Catalogue of a Very Beautiful Collection of the Etchings by Rembrandt, the Property of the Late Right Hon. Reginald Pole Carew…" Mr. Wheatley, London, May 13-May 15, 1835, lot no. 34. The buyer was probably William Esdaile [Lugt 2617], a banker and a collector of prints and drawings. His initials appear twice on this print, once on the recto and once on the verso. His name also appears on the verso. Esdaile is mentioned in this context in the catalogue of Klipstein & Kornfeld's 1961 sale [see note [7]].
[5] See the catalogue of Esdaile's sale, "A Catalogue of the Unrivaled Collection of Prints and Drawings of the Late William Esdaile, Esq," Christie's, London, June 11 - 16, 1840, lot no. 627.
[6] Strölin is mentioned in an invoice from C. G. Boerner to the Saint Louis Art Museum, dated September, 29, 1994 [SLAM document files].
[7] C. G. Boerner lists a "German private collection" as the previous owner. Presumably it was this collector for whom Eduard Trautscholdt purchased the work at the 1961 auction: "Graphik von Rembrandt: Sammlung aus privater Hand." sale no. 102, Klipstein & Kornfeld, Bern, June 7, 1961, lot no. 11. Recorded in Boerner's catalogue as sold to an unnamed German buyer [SLAM document files].
[8] Invoice dated August 25, 1994 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, September 26, 1994.
Jan Chalon (1738-1795), Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Paris, France; and London, England [1]
1795 -
Christian Josi (d.1828), London, England and Amsterdam, The Netherlands; by inheritance from Chalon [2]
- 1835
Reginald Pole Carew (1753-1835), Cornwall, England, purchased from Josi through Thomas Philipe, London, England [3]
1835/05/31 - 1840
William Esdaile (1758-1837), London, England, probably purchased at Carew sale through Mr. B. Wheatley, London, England, May 13, 1835, lot no. 34 [4]
1840/06/11-16
In sale of prints and drawings from Esdaile estate, London, England, Christie's, June 11-16, 1840, lot no. 627 [5]
- 1961
Alfred Strölin (1871-1954), Lausanne, Switzerland, or his son, Alfred Strölin (1912-1974), Lausanne, Switzerland and Paris, France [6]
1961/06/07 - 1994
Private collection, Germany, probably purchased from sale of Strölin collection through Eduard Trautscholdt, Klipstein & Kornfeld, Bern, Switzerland, June 7, 1961, lot no. 11 [7]
- 1994
Artemis Fine Arts, London, England, and C. G. Boerner, Inc., New York, NY, USA; London, England; and Dusseldorf, Germany (owned jointly)
1994 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Artemis Fine Arts, London, England and C. G. Boerner, Inc., New York, NY, USA [8]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is the undated dealer's list provided by C. G. Boerner, Inc., no. 42, in 1994 [SLAM document files].
[1] Jan Chalon [Lugt 439] was a Dutch artist and musician who acquired a large collection of Rembrandt prints. "Apartient à Chalon" ("belonging to Chalon") is inscribed on the verso of this print, in brown ink; the hand is probably William Esdaile's [see note [4]]. On Chalon's death, his collection passed to Josi, his son-in-law [Lugt 439].
[2] Christian Josi, Chalon's son-in-law, [Lugt 573-5] worked as an engraver and art dealer. He probably inherited this print along with the rest of his father-in-law's collection. The verso of this print shows traces of several old inscriptions, now indecipherable.
[3] Josi sold this impression, along with the rest of the Chalon Collection, to Reginald Pole Carew through Thomas Philipe ["A Catalogue of a Very Beautiful Collection of the Etchings by Rembrandt, the Property of the Late Right Hon. Reginald Pole Carew…" Mr. Wheatley, London, May 13-May 15, 1835, lot no. 34].
[4] The print was included in the auction sale of the Pole Carew estate through Mr. B. Wheatley, May 13, 1835, and was sold to an unnamed buyer. See "A Catalogue of a Very Beautiful Collection of the Etchings by Rembrandt, the Property of the Late Right Hon. Reginald Pole Carew…" Mr. Wheatley, London, May 13-May 15, 1835, lot no. 34. The buyer was probably William Esdaile [Lugt 2617], a banker and a collector of prints and drawings. His initials appear twice on this print, once on the recto and once on the verso. His name also appears on the verso. Esdaile is mentioned in this context in the catalogue of Klipstein & Kornfeld's 1961 sale [see note [7]].
[5] See the catalogue of Esdaile's sale, "A Catalogue of the Unrivaled Collection of Prints and Drawings of the Late William Esdaile, Esq," Christie's, London, June 11 - 16, 1840, lot no. 627.
[6] Strölin is mentioned in an invoice from C. G. Boerner to the Saint Louis Art Museum, dated September, 29, 1994 [SLAM document files].
[7] C. G. Boerner lists a "German private collection" as the previous owner. Presumably it was this collector for whom Eduard Trautscholdt purchased the work at the 1961 auction: "Graphik von Rembrandt: Sammlung aus privater Hand." sale no. 102, Klipstein & Kornfeld, Bern, June 7, 1961, lot no. 11. Recorded in Boerner's catalogue as sold to an unnamed German buyer [SLAM document files].
[8] Invoice dated August 25, 1994 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, September 26, 1994.