Art Institute of Chicago

The Degradation of Haman before Ahasuerus and Esther

School of Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669) contemporary with Govert Flinck (Dutch, 1615-1660)

Date

1630s

Medium

Pen and brown ink, with brush and brown wash, on cream laid paper

Culture

Holland

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Although many attributions are based on visual observation, technical methods in use since the early 1900s provide material evidence that can supplement what the unassisted eye can register. In other words, investigating a work’s material composition and physical structure allows experts to base an attribution on how a work was made in addition to what it looks like. Current forms of analysis include technical imaging like beta radiography, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, and hyperspectral photography, as well as examination under strong magnification. Technical analysis of this drawing has found that two distinct campaigns of execution took place at different times and that two different types of ink were used. These findings support a hypothesis that the drawing was started by a member of Rembrandt’s workshop and then corrected by Rembrandt or one of the more advanced students under his supervision.

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