Art Institute of Chicago
The Star of the Kings: A Night Piece
Rembrandt van RijnLinkedCulture matchlcp-7924f2657395
- Date
- c. 1651
- Medium
- Etching, drypoint, and engraving on ivory laid paper
- Culture
- Holland
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Object ID
- 49037
From the Art Institute of Chicago record
Rembrandt likely knew Jan van de Velde the Younger’s dark yet straightforward rendition of the Twelfth Night festivities, in which the artist bathed his star-singers in sufficient lantern light so that their features could be made out. In contrast, Rembrandt submerged his revelers in pitch blackness, with only a glimmer of light emanating from their star. Carrying it was an important role (here assumed by a child), and at the end of each verse, pulling a rope set the star in motion. Rembrandt suggested a second group of singers in the far left, clustered around their own tiny, bright star.
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Provenance & credit
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- Credit line
- The Charles Deering Collection
Linked open data
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- Object type
- AAT300041273
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