The story of a lost painting by Rembrandt
The Baptism of the Eunuch, ca. 1630 “ … a painting that Rembrandt was apparently very proud of. ”
Ernst van de Wetering
“Mostly attributions of paintings to Rembrandt are based exclusively on stylistic evidence because of the lack of primary sources. His Baptism of the Eunuch is a remarkable exception.”
Prof. Dr. Volker Manuth, Summary and conclusion,
The rediscovery of the Baptism of the Eunuch, ca. 1630 by Rembrandt.
May 30, 2023, Nijmegen.
Traces of existence of this painting.
There are two contemporaneous print copies of the painting bearing the inscription “Rembrandt invent”.
J.G. van Vliet’s engraving of 1631
and “JG. v. Vliet fec. 1631”.
C. J. Visscher’s engraving 1631-1652
Ernst van de Wetering’s hypothesis in direct relation with the painting,
the Baptism of the Eunuch, ca. 1630:
“Missing paintings: Although we suspect that the greater part of Rembrandt’s oeuvre has been preserved, it is still possible that many paintings have disappeared. Sometimes traces of such paintings remain, for example in written descriptions from the past, or in copies or reproduction prints. The latter is the case with the scene illustrated in fig.55 with the Baptism of the Eunuch. It is an exceptionally ambitious reproduction print (59.2 x 49.1 cm) of a painting that Rembrandt was apparently very proud of. There is probably another trace of the same painting: a rapidly painted head, done in broad strokes, of an old man bending forward.“
E. v. d. Wetering in A Life in 180 Paintings, Local World BV, 2008
Page 46 of Rembrandt, A Life in 180 Paintings
“The resemblance goes further than the outer appearance of the model. It extends to the facial structure and the means used by the artist to depict it.” Gary Schwartz, A Rembrandt invention: a new Baptism of the Eunuch, 2020, p. 55.
Is the Baptism of the Eunuch by van Vliet faithfull to the painting?
“We think this is an oil sketch for the head of the apostle Philip who is baptizing the rich Moorish courtier whom he was converted to Christianity. The print (reproduced here in mirror image) was produced – without doubt commissioned by Rembrandt himself – by the graphic artist Jan G. van Vliet. It would certainly have contributed to Rembrandt’s fame.”
E. v. d. WeteringRembrandt, A Life in 180 Paintings, p. 46 Local World BV, 2008 Local.
Subtle differences in the motifs:
Van Vliet is known for his faithfulness to the master’s originals. It’s rather true for the motifs, Nevertheless we are left with questions.
Awkward elements
- The gazes of the entourage are disconnected from the main scene. Which is rather unusual for Rembrandt.
- A troublesome iconography detail: the genitals of the horse on philip’s head.
- Added or missing elements.
The radical difference
- The verticle format.
- The missing link between Rembrandt’s horizontal painting and Vliet’s vertical print.
- A compositional drawing made by Rembrandt for Vliet’s engraving.
The wavering points
- The multiple restorations of poor quality, due to the panels displacement, often misstaken with eventual workshop pupil’s hands.
- A troublesome iconography detail: the genitals of the horse on philip’s head.
- Added or missing elements.