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Lot Essay
Landscape with a square Tower is a wonderful example of Rembrandt's skill in combining both real and imaginary motifs in his landscapes. Whilst the smaller buildings were typical of farms around Amsterdam, the topography is similar to the hilly landscape between Amersfoort and Rhenen. In 1649, Rembrandt travelled with Hendrickje Stoffels to Bredevoort (near Winterswijk) close to the eastern border with Germany, to visit Hendrickje's parents. The route they took can be reconstructed from his drawings, and here we see elements of the landscape they encountered. Dutch artists often included ruins in their landscapes to convey a moral message about the inevitable passage of time and the fragility of man's endeavours, but here the past and present co-exist peacefully, and therefore it need not be interpreted strictly according to this convention.
Some commentators believe the imaginary element, such as the ruined tower in the present etching, signalled a waning interest in strict landscape, and a desire to move beyond the realistic vocabulary with which Rembrandt had described the Dutch landscape through most of the 1640s. Rembrandt continued to produce both real and imaginary views for two more years, before ceasing altogether in 1652. The only landscapes produced after this time were backdrops for figures in outdoor settings.
Despite the glitch across the signature, the present impression must be a relatively early example of the third, final state, still printing with much burr and tone, in particular in the foreground, and with the vertical wiping marks and the scratches in the sky very prominent. It is these more informal, impermanent elements of the print which create a sense of depth and atmosphere, inviting the eye to wander past the farmhouses, over the fence and up the hill towards the mysterious tower.
Some commentators believe the imaginary element, such as the ruined tower in the present etching, signalled a waning interest in strict landscape, and a desire to move beyond the realistic vocabulary with which Rembrandt had described the Dutch landscape through most of the 1640s. Rembrandt continued to produce both real and imaginary views for two more years, before ceasing altogether in 1652. The only landscapes produced after this time were backdrops for figures in outdoor settings.
Despite the glitch across the signature, the present impression must be a relatively early example of the third, final state, still printing with much burr and tone, in particular in the foreground, and with the vertical wiping marks and the scratches in the sky very prominent. It is these more informal, impermanent elements of the print which create a sense of depth and atmosphere, inviting the eye to wander past the farmhouses, over the fence and up the hill towards the mysterious tower.