







'jsJ 









"'"/rje^S^i^ 



FIGURE 12 



Traced sketch by the author, showing only the etched Hnes in Rembrandt's 

 print, Landscape with a hay barn and a flock of sheep. (Smithsonian photo 59398.) 



Re-etching also seems unlikely. If the original 

 ground has been removed from a plate, the entire 

 plate must be re-grounded, without smoking or 

 whitening, so that the previously etched lines show 

 through. Noticeably heavier etched lines appear at 

 only a few places on this plate, principally in the 

 grass at the lower right. It is probable that Rem- 

 brandt used a number of etching needles of different 

 widths. \Ve do not see the typical changes in the 

 lines produced by stopping-out or re-etching. Re- 

 etching of new lines crossing previously etched lines 

 often causes a slight penetration of acid under the 

 ground into the old lines. This shows in the printing 

 as a dark spot at the point of crossing. Such an 

 effect is not found in this print. A similar result in 

 the cross-hatching at the lower left is caused instead 

 by drypoint lines crossing etched lines. 



No direct evidence has been found concerning the 

 acid corrosive used by Rembrandt to bite hb plate. ^^ 

 Only tentative conclusions can be drawn from this 

 and other prints. The etched lines in the Landscape 

 with a hay barn . . . appear to be bitten with a 



PAPER 61 : Rembrandt's etching technique 



FIGURE 13 



Detail of Rembrandt's finished print. 

 Landscape with a hay barn and a flock of 

 sheep, lower right, showing lines of 

 pure etching. Enlarged 10 times. 

 (Smithsonian photo 59387.) 



103 



