Christ Preaching ('La Petite Tombe')

Christ Preaching ('La Petite Tombe') by Rembrandt van Rijn is a seminal print created between 1647 and 1657. Classified technically as a print, the work masterfully utilizes the complex combination of etching, drypoint, and burin. This mixed-media approach allowed the artist to achieve remarkable textural variations, producing the deep, rich velvety blacks typical of drypoint alongside the fine, controlled lines characteristic of etching. The interplay of these techniques was essential for depicting the dramatic contrast between light and shadow.

Rijn, a defining master of the Dutch Golden Age, focused here on the profound religious subject of Christ addressing a diverse crowd. The alternative title, often translated as 'The Little Tomb,' refers to the faint suggestion of an arch or a tomb structure partially visible in the deep background. The composition places Christ centrally, illuminated by an intense spiritual light that contrasts sharply with the surrounding figures.

The crowd is rendered with meticulous detail and sociological accuracy, incorporating figures from across society-the poor and the rich, the attentive, the skeptical, and the infirm seeking healing. This humanist approach to biblical narrative is a hallmark of Rijn’s work in the Netherlands. This period marked the peak of the artist’s engagement with the print medium, demonstrating his deep understanding of how light and texture could be manipulated on the copper plate. The enduring importance of these detailed and dramatic prints is recognized globally, and high-quality impressions are frequently encountered in the public domain. This particular impression of the work resides in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.