Rembrandt or Not: The CRMA's intriguing etchings

This is a recording of a Zoom talk given by Associate Curator Kate Kunau.

Rembrandt's prints have been intriguing collectors for centuries. Over the years, numerous owners of his original printmaking plates have printed posthumous impressions from them. Eventually, the plates began to wear out and a number of Rembrandt prints demonstrate that phenomenon. Occasionally, dealers would re-cut or re-etch the plates, resulting in prints best described as "reworked" or "retouched."

In the late 19th century, three companies were engaged in reproductive etchings based on original Rembrandt prints. Join Associate Curator Kate Kunau for a discussion of what makes a print “original” and where the CRMA’s Rembrandt prints fall in this continuum.